or 


BV  4515 

.H37  1904 

Harris, 

William  Shuler, 

1861 

Sermons 

by  the  devil 

'% 


Udl:,. 


FULUY  RELAVeO  by 


T 


REV.  W.  S.  HARRIS 

Author  of  "Mr.  World  and  Miss  Church-Member."  "Life  in  a  Thou- 
sand Worlds,"  "Modem  Fables  and  Parables."  etc.,  etc. 


Illustrated  by 

Paul  %xvif£i  m\h  ii%r0 


PUBLISHED  BY 

MENNONITE  PUBLISHING  CO. 
ELKHART,  INDIANA 


Sold  by  Subscription  Only 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1904,  by 

Luther  Minter, 

In  the  OfiBce  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C,  U.  S,  A. 

Entered  according  to  Act  of  Parliament  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great 

Britain  and  Ireland,  in  the  year  1904,  at  the  Office  of  the 

Registrar  of  Copyright  at  Stationers'  Hall. 


To  my  many  friends  who  by  their 
kindly  criticisms  pro  and  con  have 
made  it  easier  for  me  to  write,  and 
who  have  urged  me  to  the  comple- 
tion of  this  volume,  this  book  is  sin- 
cerely dedicated. 


PREFACE. 

The  part  that  Satan  plays  in  the  drama  of  a  hu- 
man life  is  often  larger  than  a  person  will  admit. 
Each  one  of  us  is  not  only  acting,  but  we  are  con- 
stantly acted  upon  by  one  or  the  other  of  two  great 
influences.  The  Good  Spirit  endeavors  to  lead  us 
to  the  skies,  and  its  angels  are  ever  willing  to 
minister  to  our  real  needs.  The  Evil  Spirit,  either 
openly  or  under  cover,  seeks  to  destroy  our  mind 
with  the.imtruth  by  preaching  to  us  his  black  ser- 
mons of  death.  Some  of  these  sermons  are  short, 
others  are  longer,  and  at  times  they  are  delivered 
to  us  in  the  language  of  an  angel  with  all  the  dig- 
nity that  good  scholarship  might  command. 

This  volume  was  commenced  with  the  purpose 
of  tearing  off  his  Satanic  mask  so  that  people 
might  see  more  clearly  the  real  source  of  thesa 
dark  sermons.  There  are  many  people  who,  after 
yielding  to  temptation,  will  declare  that  they  have 
acted  independent  of  any  evil  influence.  Satan  is 
pleased  to  see  a  person  rest  in  the  shadow  of  such 
a  delusion,  but  it  is  better  for  each  one  of  us  to 
know  that  either  the  good  or  evil  spirit  is  seeking 
to  be  the  guest  of  our  thoughts,  and  it  depends 
upon  our  attitude  who  will  be  entertained. 


'4  PKEFACE. 

The  most  deceived  man  of  all  is  he  whose  mind 
is  influenced  by  the  Evil  Spirit  and  yet  he  believes 
that  he  is  besought  by  the  Good  Spirit.  We  hope 
to  reach  some  of  such  persons  whose  eyes  are  color 
blind  and  whose  ears  are  so  impaired  that  they 
alone  cannot  distinguish  between  the  voices  that 
are  calling  them  downward  and  those  that  are  call- 
ing them  upward. 

We  aimed  to  keep  the  book  clean  throughout, 
even  though  we  tried  to  bring  out  the  real  charac- 
ter of  the  unclean  Spirit.  We  have  advanced  only 
such  arguments  of  Satan  as  he  uses  continually  in 
his  practical  dealings  with  people.  We  were  par- 
ticular that  none  of  the  chapters  should  be  a  source 
of  temptation,  but  that  they  might  give  Satan  his 
proper  setting  more  clearly  in  the  minds  of  the 
reader,  and  thereby  destroy  the  edge  of  his  sword 
as  much  as  possible. 

To  the  art  work  of  this  book  the  most  careful 
attention  has  been  given,  both  by  the  author  and 
the  famous  artist,  Paul  Krafft,  of  New  York. 
Neither  work  nor  money  was  spared  to  produce 
the  most  accurate  drawings  so  as  to  assist  the  mind 
in  grasping  the  truths  of  the  book.  And  now,  that 
the  volume  is  completed,  it  is  the  fond  hope  of  the 
writer  that  it  may  not  fall  short  of  its  purpose. 


Preface.  s 

The  author  sought  the  aid  of  Divine  wisdom  in 
producing  this  book,  and  he  now  depends  upon  the 
same  power  to  carry  it  into  the  channels  of  His 
own  choosing. 

The  Author. 
May  12,  1904. 


# 


INTRODUCTION. 

In  some  instances  when  the  author  of  a  book  is 
unknown  it  is  custoniary  to  secure  some  noted  per- 
son to  write  the  Introduction.  It  is  unnecessary, 
however,  in  the  presentation  of  this  book  to  the 
public,  inasmuch  as  its  able  author  is  so  well 
known.  Those  who  have  read  his  former  works 
are  numbered  by  the  hundreds  of  thousands. 
When  'an  author's  writings  have  been  received 
with  such  a  welcome  and  endorsed  with  such  a 
phenomenal  sale,  not  only  in  his  own  country,  but 
also  in  other  lands,  it  is  unnecessary  to  introduce 
him  and  his  works,  as  his  name  is  already  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people. 

We  want  to  say  that  this  book,  entitled  **  Sermons 
by  the  Devil,"  is  original  and  unique  from  cover 
to  cover,  and  that  the  author  spent  much  time  and 
thought  in  its  preparation.  We  believe  that  it  is 
the  crowning  work  of  his  life. 

The  illustrations  have  been  drawn  by  the  genius, 
Paul  Krafft,  and  they  are  the  best  of  his  efforts. 
Each  picture  is  a  careful  study  and  is  perfected 
with  much  painstaking  work.  We  hare  saved 
neither  time  nor  expense  to  make  this  one  of  the 


ft  INTRODUCTION. 

best  books  ever  put  before  the  people  for  the  low 
price  we  are  asking  for  it. 

We  hope  that  this  work  will  be  received  with 
welcome  in  millions  of  homes  and  that  its  good 
mission  will  not  be  misunderstood.  The  book  will 
surely  do  much  good,  and  any  one  helping  to  dis- 
tribute it  will  be  sowing  seed  that  will  bear  a  rich 
harvest  long  after  his  earthly  life  is  ended.  In 
these  times  of  wickedness  and  greed  there  is  great 
need  of  a  spiritual  awakening,  and  a  book  of  this 
character  is  well  calculated  to  reach  the  desired 
object.  It  is  our  hope  that  all  this  and  even  more 
will  be  accomplished  through  the  influence  of  this 
book. 

The  Publishers. 


CONTENTS. 

Page 

Satan's  Sermon  on  Suicide, 17 

Sermons  on  the  River  of  Life,  25 

A  Serpent  Sermon  by  Satan, 35 

Satan's  Business  Advice,  40 

The  Death  of  a  Saloon-Keeper, 45 

A  Sermon  by  Satan  to  a  Dying  Christian,  ...     53 

Satan  Preaches  to  a  Society  Woman, 57 

Preaching  Behind  Curtains,    60 

Views  of  Satan  on  Lying, 65 

Little  Sermons  by  Satan  to  Persuade  People 

to  Reject  the  Great  Invitation, 73 

Satan's  Musical  Sermon, 87 

Satan  on  Child  Training,  91 

Satan  on  Christian  Zeal, 96 

Harmlessness  of  Sin, 100 

The  Lord's  Supper, 104 

Family  Worship,   110 

Satan  and  Purity, 118 

The  Journey  of  Miss  Pilgrim, 123 

A  Time  When  Satan  Failed,, 143 

How  To  Conduct  Revival  Meetings, 148 

A  Tobacco  Sermon  by  Satan,  157 

The  Devil's  Free  Lunch  Counter, 165 


10  CONTENTS. 

How  to  Keep  People  from  Going  to  Church,  168 

Satan  and  Sensuality, 180 

The  Bondage  of  Sin,  187 

The  Saloon  Devil  and  Uncle  Sam, 191 

Let  Us  Alone,  198 

The  Hobby  Factory,   208 

Preaching  at  the  Bridge, 215 

Where  the  Devil  Need  Not  Preach, 225 

Till  All  Comes  Right,  228 

Two  Kinds  of  Riches, 230 

Satan  on  Atheism,   234 

Heaven  and  Hell, 244 

Sermons  on  Preaching, 247 

Sermons  on  Prayer  by  Satan  and  Members  of 

His  Cabinet,  260 

Satan's  Sermon  on  Jonah, 270 

Satan *s  Views  on  Swearing,  278 

Seven  Sermons  by  Members  of  the  Devil's 

Cabinet,   , 282 

The  Devil's  Last  Song,  303 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


(fetfS^^r 


HALF  TONE. 

Attempt  at  Suicide  on  the  Bridge, 23 

The  River  of  Life,  25 

The  Saloon-Keeper's  Death-bed  Experience 

with  Satan  and  His  Imps, 51 

The  Death  of  the  Christian, 52 

The  Cripple's  Entrance  to  the  Rich  Man's 

Palace,   85 

Satan  in  Artful  Disguise,  leading  a  Host  on 

the  Monotonous  Rounds  of  Sin,  86 

Satan's  Unsuccessful  Attempt  on  the  Path  of 

Purity,   121 

Miss  Pilgrim's  Encounter  with  Satan  in  a 

Hobgoblin  Form, 122 

Miss  Pilgrim  Entering  the  Gate  of  Heaven,  141 
The  Farmer  at  the  Decisive  Point  Turning  a 
Deaf  Ear  to  Satan  and  Heeding  the  Advice 

of  the  Angel  of  Light, 142 

Satan  on  the  Path  of  Sensuality,, 185 

The  Rich  Young  Man  Blindly  Clinging  to  His 

Burdens, 186 

Satan's  Orchestra  at  the  Bridge  of  Destruc- 
tion,      223 

Satan  Enjoying  His  Ease  in  the  Spiritually 
Sleeping  Church, 224 


14 


HALF  TONE. 


The  Operatic  Scene  of  the  Seven  Great  Devils 

in  their  Famous  Speeches, 301 

Satan  Bound  at  Last  in  the  Bottomless  Pit,  302 


B 


PEN  DRAWINGS. 

The  Rich  Man's  Messenger  Meeting  the  Beg- 
gar,       74 

The  Widow  Invited  to  the   Supper  in  the 

King's  Palace,  76 

The  Woman  Who  Heeded  the  Advice  of  Her 

Three  Neighbors,   78 

The  Young  Man's  Excuse,  80 

The  Three  Stages  of  Prostitution,  117 

Moral  Training  and  Satan's  Free  Lunches  of 

Advice,   164 

Uncle  Sam  Protecting  the  Saloon, 190 

Christ  Commanding  the  Devil  to  Come  Out 

of  the  Man, 200 

The  Devil  White-washing  Sinners, = . .  289 


^*- 


|tfMff0BHitf«Ba««*tfBaH0Ma« 


Satan  was  making  earnest  efforts  to  persuade  a 
certain  man  to  commit  suicide.  He  tempted  him  at 
midnight  as  far  as  the  center  of  the  bridge,  and  as 
the  man  hesitated  to  spring  into  the  water,  Satan 
continued  speaking: 

"I  congratulate  you  as  you  stand  here  on  the 
very  edge  of  genuine  happiness.  If  you  have  suf- 
ficient courage,  you  will  soon  enter  into  perfect 
peace.  Look  down  upon  the  sweet  waters,  and  see 
how  they  invite  you  to  the  most  peaceful  kind  of  a 
death.  They  promise  to  cover  all  your  cares  and 
troubles,  and  put  you  to  sleep  on  the  bosom  of  the 
deep. ' ' 

A  good  angel  interrupted  these  temptations  of 
Satan: 

"Spring  not  from  this  bridge,  for  such  an  act 
will  bring  no  relief  to  your  poor  soul.  It  would 
be  the  opening  of  the  door  through  which  you 
would  enter  to  exi)erience  deeper  sorrows  and  grief 
more  terrible.  Listen  no  longer  to  the  voice  that 
points  you  toward  the  panfi^s  of  death." 

2 


18  SATAN'S  SERMON  TO  A  SUICIDE. 

The  words  of  the  angel  touched  the  heart  of  the 
man  and  they  seemed  to  draw  him  away,  but  Satan 
again  quickly  spoke : 

"Don't  be  a  coward.  Have  you  not  found  that 
the  best  joys  of  this  life  are  worthless,  and  that 
your  troubles  are  so  great  that  you  can  no  longer 
bear  them  I  Why  be  so  foolish  as  to  continue  under 
this  load,  to  live  on  in  misery  and  wretchedness? 
You  have  gone  thus  far  towards  peace,  and  now 
one  plunge  from  the  bridge  will  end  all  your  woes. ' ' 

Again  the  angel  insisted : 

*'Nay!  nay!  be  not  so  foolhardy.  Before  you 
lies  not  only  the  dark  waters,  but  the  judgment  bar 
of  God.  If  you  listen  and  heed  the  voice  of  Satan, 
you  are  responsible  for  the  result  of  listening.  You 
cannot  plead  any  excuse  for  self-murder,  inasmuch 
as  God  has  sent  me,  as  one  of  his  angels,  to  warn 
you  while  the  warmth  of  life  is  yet  yours.  Return 
to  your  tasks ;  face  your  situation ;  forsake  sin  and 
take  God  into  your  life,  then  your  troubles  will  no 
longer  seem  unsurmountable.  By  God's  help,  you 
will  be  given  the  best  solution  of  the  problem  that 
vexes  you,  and  your  life  will  yet  be  crowned  with 
honor  and  glory.  Let  God  drop  life's  curtain,  but 
do  not  draw  it  yourself. ' ' 

These  kindly  words  had  a  great  influence  on  the 
heart  of  this  man.    Once  more  he  was  about  to  turn 


SATAN'S  SERMON  TO  A  SUICIDE.  19 

and  walk  toward  the  city,  but  the  enemy  with  bold 
audacity,  again  continued  his  sermon : 

*  ^  What  can  you  see  ahead  of  you  as  you  lift  your 
eyes?  Have  you  not  tried  the  theatre,  and  what 
joy  can  that  give?  Have  you  not  tried  the  ways  of 
prostitution,  and  what  lasting  comfort  have  you 
found?  Have  you  not  tasted  of  the  wine  glass,  and 
found  no  satisfying  portion?  In  brief,  is  it  not  true 
that  everything  has  failed  to  give  you  the  peace 
for  which  you  have  been  vainly  sighing?  You  must 
not  be  deceived  by  false  voices  that  call  you  to 
imaginary  peace.  Religion  is  a  failure,  and  you 
need  not  think  of  depending  upon  the  church  or 
Sunday  School  for  any  real  comfort.  The  world 
would  be  far  better  off  if  there  were  no  churches. 
The  only  work  they  do  is  to  annoy  the  consciences 
of  people  while  they  live,  and  in  many  instances, 
cast  a  heavy  gloom  over  them  in  death."  The 
Devil  paused  just  a  moment  and  then  in  a  softer 
voice  continued :  ' '  Since  all  of  your  prospects  are 
like  bubbles,  why  not  leap  instantly  into  the  waters, 
whose  velvety  touches  shall  smooth  down  all  your 
cares  and  bury  you  in  peace  forever !  There  is  no 
grave  like  that  of  the  water.  Look  now  upon  its 
smiling  face  and  remember  that  all  those  silent 
moonlight  beckonings  are  inviting  you  to  the  deep- 
est and  most  sublime  comfort.    Hesitate  no  more. 


20  SATAN'S  SERMON  TO  A  SUICIDE. 

Why  not  carry  your  whole  purpose  to  a  finish? 
There  could  be  nothing  sweeter  than  to  fall  from 
this  bridge.  The  rest  will  all  follow  like  the  even- 
ing follows  noon,  or  like  the  bright  stars  follow  the 
heat  of  a  closing  day. ' ' 

At  this  the  man  actually  leaned  over  and  was 
looking  thoughtfully  into  the  waters  below  him. 
Then  the  good  angel  lovingly  entreated  him  once 
more: 

' '  Think  of  your  mother  and  your  friends.  Look 
at  the  disgrace  you  will  leave  behind  you.  Remem- 
ber, God,  who  made  the  waters,  made  them  not  to 
comfort  a  dying  man.  There  is  no  peace  to  be 
found  in  such  a  manner  of  ending  life.  Empty 
your  mind  of  these  vain  delusions  which  I  assure 
you  are  but  temptations  from  the  Devil.  If  you 
heed  his  voice  you  will  find,  when  it  is  too  late, 
that  you  will  be  in  the  power  of  the  very  wretch 
who  now  seeks  your  ruin." 

Then  did  the  Devil  whisper  a  few  long  sentences 
so  low  that  no  one  could  hear  but  the  listener.  It 
was  a  terrible  temptation  playing  upon  the  man  in 
his  weakness.  It  was  his  purpose  to  heed  the  voice 
of  the  good  angel,  but  he  somehow  felt  that  he  was 
being  drawn  away  from  the  light  that  was  trying 
to  enter  his  soul,  and  so,  in  the  desperation  that 
was  born  of  this  thought,  he  seized  his  enemy  as  if 


SATAN'S  SERMON  TO  A  SUICIDE.  gi 

in  bodily  conflict,  and  taking  advantage  of  the  ad- 
vice previously  given  to  him  by  the  angel,  he  called 
upon  God  for  help.  After  a  sharp  decisive  strug- 
gle Satan  was  pushed  off  of  the  bridge,  but  it  seem- 
ed as  if  he  did  not  fall  into  the  water.  The  man 
quickly  turned  for  he  felt  a  saving  hand  upon  him, 
and  to  his  happiness  he  found  that  the  angel  had 
not  let  go  of  him  during  all  the  conflict.  Never  did 
any  creature  seem  so  beautiful  as  the  angel  apx)ear- 
ed  to  him  at  that  moment.  He  had  conquered  in 
the  conflict,  and  next  he  breathed  out  his  petition  on 
the  midnight  air  that  God  might  help  him  through 
the  troubles  that  had  almost  overwhelmed  him. 
His  prayer  was  answered  and  over  the  wrecks  of  a 
wasted  life  he  reared  a  building  of  character  and 
wealth  that  he  humbly  dedicated  to  the  unseen  God. 
It  is  sad  to  relate  that  not  all  of  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  the  human  race  conquer  Satan  when 
they  are  subjected  to  the  terrible  temptations  of 
self  destruction. 


Every  inward  voice  or  suggestion 
that  urges  a  man  to  self-destruction 
is  bora  of  Satan.  Look  at  the  picture 
and  see  how  the  Black  Demon  points 
downward.  He  is  urging  the  man  to 
find  comfort  in  suicide.  That  is  the 
best  recipe  that  Satan  and  infidelity 
can  offer  to  a  person  who  is  over- 
whelmed with  trouble.  Let  such  a  one 
turn  a  deaf  ear  to  Satan's  temptation 
and  listen  to  the  Angel  of  Light  who 
will  point  him  to  the  Son  of  Eighte- 
ousness  by  day  and  the  Star  of  Hope 
by  night. 


22 


Then  the  Devil  whispered  a  few  loxg  sextexces,  urging  the 

MAN    TO    COMMIT    SUICIDE,    AND    THE    GOOD    ANGEL    ONCE    MORE 
ENDEAVORED   TO  DRAW   THE   MAN   AWAY. 


1~    OS 


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a;  >  a 

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a  w  ^ 


as 
-  o 


\1  ^ 
3  « 

o 


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^rmnttH 


0Utl|e    J^^^J^ 


Hvitx  of  Htfi?  j» 


The  river  of  life  rises  at  the  gate  of  Heaven  and 
empties  into  the  ocean  of  Death.  At  the  age  of  ac- 
countability each  individual  is  launched  into  the 
stream  about  midway,  and  he  must  either  drift  with 
the  current  downward  or  work  against  it  upward. 
The  river  flows  with  different  degrees  of  rapidity 
as  you  go  from  the  shore  toward  its  center.  The 
chief  end  of  human  life  is  for  one  to  struggle 
against  the  natural  currents  and  push  his  way  far- 
ther and  farther  up  the  stream  toward  Heaven  and 
Success. 

It  is  very  easy  to  move  with  the  current.  Idle- 
ness is  a  drifting  toward  death.  There  are  many 
things  along  the  banks  of  this  river  to  attract  at- 
tention, so  that  by  looking  intently  toward  the 
shore,  no  one  will  realize  that  he  is  surely  drifting 
toward  the  black  waters  of  Destruction.  It  is  the 
purpose  of  Satan  to  engage  one's  thought  in  any 
manner  whatever  so  as  to  keep  his  hands  from  ply- 
ing the  oars  against  the  stream. 

Happy  the  person  who  refuses  to  give  his  time 


26  SERMONS  ON  THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE. 

and  his  thought  to  the  lightsome  attractions  a.long 
the  way,  or  to  the  inward  temptations  that  are  di- 
rectly prompted  by  Satan.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  if  anything  good  is  to  be  obtained  in  this  life, 
one  cannot  get  it  without  an  effort.  There  are 
plenty  of  good  things  up  the  river.  The  farther 
you  travel  upward,  the  more  beautiful  are  the 
flowers  along  the  banks,  and  the  more  wholesome 
fruits  can  be  plucked  from  the  branches  overhang- 
ing the  stream.  Also  in  those  higher  places,  there 
are  cool  and  shady  inlets  where  one  may  rest  in 
peace  on  the  pure  waters,  in  the  beauty  of  the  fresh 
and  balmy  air. 

But  strange  to  say,  there  are  comparatively  few 
who  are  willing  to  make  a  sacrifice  in  order  to 
reach  these  happy  places  farther  up  the  stream. 
Some  pride  themselves  by  saying  that  they  are  as 
good  as  certain  other  people,  but  it  happens  that 
those  other  people  are  slowly  drifting  down  stream. 
One  should  not  find  satisfaction  in  making  the 
same  progress  that  somebody  else  is  making  who  is 
drifting  down  toward  the  ocean  of  Death. 

Far  down  this  stream,  the  waters  become  dark 
and  filthy  and  the  climate  is  sickening,  but  they 
who  are  drifting  past  tlie  lowlands  become  accus- 
tomed to  the  climate  and  really  do  not  seem  to 
know  that  they  are  moving  in  such  an  unwholesome 
atmosphere. 


SERMONS  ON  THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE.  37 

In  the  light  of  these  truths,  one  can  readily  see 
how  easy  it  is  to  sin,  even  though  its  consequences 
are  hard  to  bear.  Sinning  need  be  nothing  more 
than  drifting  down  stream  into  the  poisoned  at- 
mosphere where  all  kinds  of  impurities  exist.  The 
end  of  such  a  course  is  spiritual  death  and  all  of 
its  attached  penalties. 

It  is  possible  to  obtain  good  things  in  our  natural 
life  by  inheritance  or  in  some  other  way  that  costs 
us  no  labor,  but  on  the  mighty  river  of  life  you 
must  not  think  that  you  can  go  up  stream  by  luck. 
It  is  your  duty  to  pull  the  oars  against  the  current, 
and  if  your  arms  are  weak,  you  will  get  all  needed 
strength.  ^' Man's  extremity  is  God's  opportun- 
ity." If  you  have  a  poor  boat  or  a  poor  pair  of 
oars,  Heaven  asks  no  more  of  you  than  the  best 
you  can  do,  after  which,  strange  to  say,  your  cum- 
bersome bark  will  make  remarkable  progress  up 
stream. 

It  may  be  true  that  some  will  pass  you  even  up 
the  stream,  but  do  not  become  faint-hearted.  Not 
always  those  who  travel  with  rapid  spurts  make  the 
most  progress  in  the  end.  Some  who  bend  their  en- 
ergies with  all  diligence  for  a  season,  are  suddenly 
attracted  and  give  their  attention  to  some  object  of 
peculiar  interest,  and  lo,  their  boat  goes  drifting 
again  down  stream. 


28  SERMONS  ON  THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE. 

The  humble,  faithful  worker  in  his  effort  to 
travel  up  stream  will  naturally  meet  with  many  op- 
positions, but  if  he  is  persistent  and  surrender  to 
no  temptation,  he  will  surely  come  to  the  place 
where  rowing  is  less  difficult  and  where  the  imme- 
diate banks  will  give  him  better  subjects  for  re- 
flection. By  and  by  he  will  be  called  from  the 
stream  of  life  to  take  up  his  residence  in  the  Celes- 
tial City. 

As  you  study  the  condition  of  life  on  this  won- 
derful river  it  is  hard  to  believe  that  there  could  be 
anybody  whose  main  object  would  be  to  urge  peo- 
ple to  travel  down  stream.  This  is  the  work  that 
Satan  is  doing  with  all  his  power.  He  is  constant- 
ly advancing  false  arguments  to  persuade  all 
classes  of  people  to  take  life  easy  as  far  as  spiritual 
matters  are  concerned.  The  companies  who  are 
traveling  down  stream  will  aggregate  into  the  mil- 
lions. 

It  is  a  common  sight  to  see  the 


A  HORRIBLE 

SERMON 

PREACHED 

TO  A 

YOUNG  MAN 


Devil  flattering  a  young  man  who 
finds  that  the  natural  current  is  too 
slow  for  him.  Satan  tells  such  a  man 
to  ply  his  oars  down  stream,  and  one 
is  horrified  to  see  with  what  rapidity 
the  young  man  is  rushing  ahead  toward  his  de- 
struction.   In  his  madness  he  acts  as  if  he  wishes 


SERMONS  ON  THE  KIVEE  OF  LIFE.  29 

to  see  the  whole  program  of  sin  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble. What  does  he  care  for  warning  voices'?  He 
sings  a  jolly  song  and  shuts  his  ears  to  every  loving 
cry  as  he  feasts  his  sensual  eyes  upon  the  moral 
impurities  along  the  way.  The  Devil  laughs  at 
him  while  others  weep. 

And  then  perchance,  as  he  dashes  ahead  in  his 
reckless  course,  his  hooked  boat  will  take  hold  of 
another  and  drag  its  occupant  on  towards  the  same 
destruction.  If  his  comrade  is  not  willing  to  take 
his  same  pace  down  stream,  he  will  either  urge 
him  against  his  will,  or  will  cast  him  off  as  one  who 
is  tied  to  his  mother's  apron  strings.  Such  a  reck- 
less youth  will  always  find  women  who  will  equal 
him  in  his  terrible  career  downward.  Amongst  this 
blind  class  of  people  there  are  not  a  few  who  be- 
come so  hardened  in  sin  that  they  deliberately 
throw  their  oars  away,  thus  throwing  away  their 
best  chance  of  traveling  against  the  current.  Such 
a  person  is  just  as  foolish  as  a  bird  who  would  cut 
off  its  wings  because  it  felt  tired  after  taking  a 
long  flight. 

I  saw  one  young  man  in  his  extremity  who  not 
only  threw  away  his  oars,  but  pounded  at  the  very 
bottom  of  his  boat  until  it  sprang  a  leak  so  that  he 
was  drawn  down  to  a  watery  grave. 


30 


SERMONS  ON  THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE. 


A  DEATHLY 
SERMON 

PREACHED 

BY 

ACTIONS 


I  saw  on  this  samo  river  of  life  an- 
other boat  carrying  a  few  pleasure 
seekers.  Those  on  board  had  their 
minds  so  wrapt  up  in  the  enjoyments 
of  this  life  that  they  paid  no  attention 
to  the  more  serious  duties  of  reaching 
success.  Satan  gladly  improved  the  opportunity 
of  occupying  a  seat  on  this  same  boat  and  steering 
it.  He  knew  just  where  to  steer  the  boat  so  that 
they  would  be  farther  away  from  the  missionary 
voices  that  were  ever  calling  in  order  to  save  souls 
from  a  downward  life  of  sin.  There  was  a  Hellish 
smile  that  played  upon  the  face  of  the  grim  mon- 
ster as  he  noticed  the  thoughtlessness  and  frivolity 
of  those  on  board.  Satan  offers  to  steer  any  craft 
free  of  charge,  but  the  price  is  often  so  great  that 
one  becomes  bankrupt  when  he  tries  to  settle  the 
bill.  The  deception  of  Satan  is  unspt>akable  and  he 
is  mean  enough  to  get  others  to  point  the  finger 
of  scorn  at  a  person  who  may  be  struggling  hard 
against  the  current  in  order  to  reach  Heaven  and 


success. 


A  GLIMPSE 

OF  THE 

ANGEL 

AND  THE 

CROWN 


I  was  indeed  glad  that  I  was  priv- 
ileged to  see  on  this  same  river  one  of 
the  nobler  characters  who  occupied  a 
Immble  boat.  He  was  striving  with 
all  reasonable  effort  to  push  his  boat 
up  stream^  and  in  this  noble  work  he 


SERMONS  ON  THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE.  31 

was  opposed  by  the  imps  of  Hell  and  by  a  number 
of  companions  who  called  him  foolish  for  not  tak- 
ing in  the  sights  farther  down  the  stream.  His 
purpose  was  fixed,  and  no  one  could  swerve  him 
from  his  course  even  though  a  score  or  more  tried 
to  shipwreck  the  young  man.  His  heart  was  thrill- 
ed with  joy  because  he  was  in  touch  with  the  wish 
of  the  infinite  mind.  And  more  than  that  there  was 
an  angel  who  was  sent  to  crown  him  with  one  of 
those  kind  of  crowns  that  all  good  people  get  before 
they  reach  Heaven.  One  is  not  compelled  to  wait 
until  he  ^-caches  the  gate  of  Heaven  before  his  joy 
begins.  As  mentioned  before,  there  are  unspeak- 
able pleasures  along  the  stream  of  life  to  those  who 
continue  ever  upward,  and  the  angels  are  always 
interested  in  the  progress  such  a  one  is  making. 

The  names  of  the  two  oars  are  Faith  and  Works. 
If  these  are  both  worked  together,  eifective  work 
can  be  done.  No  one  can  make  any  progress  up 
stream  if  he  fails  to  use  either  one  of  these  oars. 
There  are  quite  a  few  pilgrims  who  are  led  to  think 
that  faith  is  of  more  consequence  than  works  and 
others  who  believe  that  works  is  more  important 
than  faith.  Such  people  make  very  blundering 
progress  by  working  one  oar  more  than  the  other. 
They  go  swinging  around  in  circles  and  strike 
against  shore  at  the  wrong  places.     Thus  in  this 


SATAN'S 

SERNON 

ON 

FAITH  AND 

WORKS 


33  SERMONS  ON  THE  EJVEH  OF  LIFE. 

roundabout  manner  the  chances  are  that  the  cur- 
rent will  somewhat  carry  them  downward,  to  say 
notliing  of  the  spectacle  they  present  to  those  who 
are  looking  on. 

I  heard  the  Devil  preaching  a  little 
sermon  to  an  earnest  Christian  whose 
mind  was  biased  toward  faith.  He 
told  the  Christian  that  faith  was 
everything,  and  that  works  count  for 
nothing  as  far  as  spiritual  progress 
is  concerned.  ''It  all  depends  upon  what  a  man 
believes  and  not  so  much  what  he  does,  whether  he 
will  ever  reach  Heaven. ' '  That  does  not  mean  that 
a  man  can  commit  evil  deeds  with  impunity  and  not 
suffer  for  it,  but  it  simply  teaches  that  the  heart 
must  be  right  in  its  belief  and  that  that  alone  will 
count  for  righteousness.  If  you  would  be  a  power 
in  the  world  let  me  urge  you  to  accept  and  teach 
this  doctrine  most  gladly,  so  that  others  who  are 
in  the  dark,  and  who  are  constantly  worrying  about 
their  works  may  be  brought  into  the  full  light. 

The  very  same  day  that  I  heard  the  Devil  preach- 
ing this  little  sermon  on  the  great  importance  of 
faith,  I  heard  him  preach  another  little  sermon  in 
which  he  put  works  on  top.  He  was  speaking  to  a 
good  woman  who  was  making  fair  progress  against 
the  current.    In  some  way  he  attracted  her  atten- 


SERMONS  ON  THE  lUVER  OF  LIFE.  33 

tion  long  enough  to  plant  his  evil  thoughts  into  her 
mind. 

*'My  dear  Christian  friend,"  he  urged,  ''it  is 
almost  impossible  for  a  person  to  know  what  is  the 
true  nature  of  faith,  and  this  being  true,  I  would 
urge  you  to  cease  worrying  over  this  subject,  and 
see  to  it  that  you  do  good  works.  If  you  give 
proper  attention  to  the  latter,  then  happiness  and 
progress  will  smile  upon  you  more  than  ever. 
After  all  the  most  important  thing  in  life  is  good 
works.    Follow  this  advice  and  be  happy. ' ' 

The  woman  who  always  had  some  difficulty  in 
understanding  faith  was  very  glad  to  hear  this  doc- 
trine again  brought  to  her  attention  even  though 
she  had  often  heard  it  before.  She  was  anxious  to 
follow  this  new  advice  and  consequently  she  com- 
menced to  work  the  oar  called  Works.  You  well 
know  what  happened,  and  as  the  boat  swung  in  a 
circle  she  made  herself  believe  that  this  was  an  im- 
proved way  of  making  progress.  She  tried  to  ex- 
ercise pity  toward  those  who  were  wise  enough 
to  make  use  of  both  oars.  It  then  occurred  to  my 
mind  that  the  worst  conceit  in  the  world  is  that 
which  makes  a  person  believe  that  his  religious 
ideas  are  better  than  those  of  any  other  people  who 
are  trying  to  do  right. 

It  would  be  a  long  story  if  we  were  to  tell  the 


34  SEllMOKg  ON  RlVEll  OF  LlFl!. 

principal  happenings  on  this  famous  river.  Your 
heart  would  be  filled  with  rapturous  delight  if  we 
were  to  describe  the  manner  in  which  the  travelers 
are  received  after  they  have  reached  the  end  of 
their  upward  journey.  Heaven  and  Success  are 
awaiting  many  more  who  are  pushing  up  stream. 
This  is  the  bright  part  of  the  whole  scene. 

But  it  would  be  impossible  for  us  to  describe  the 
extremely  horrible  condition  of  things  as  yow  go 
to  the  lower  end  of  the  stream,  neither  could  we  re- 
late the  untold  horrors  of  the  ocean  of  spiritual 
death  which  is  a  receptacle  of  all  the  filth  and  slime 
of  sin  and  sinners. 

Each  human  being  is  somewhere  on  this  river, 
either  drifting  downward  toward  the  one  extreme 
or  rowing  upward  toward  the  gates  of  the  Eternal 
City.  Such  a  tiling  as  remaining  stationary  on  this 
river  is  unthinkable,  although  many  who  imagine 
that  they  are  continuing  about  the  same,  do  not 
realize  that  they  are  actually  floating  downward. 


Preached  along  the  pathway  of  life  to  those  who 
give  heed. 

Along  the  pathway  of  life  there  are  scattered  a 
large  number  of  beautiful  buildings  with  costly 
furnishings.  These  are  supplied  with  little  pet 
snakes  of  sin,  which  can  be  had,  free  of  charge,  by 
all  who  are  willing  to  accept  them. 

Certain  snakes  are  kept  on  exhibition,  and  as 
they  lie  in  their  beautiful  glass  cases,  they  present 
a  handsome  ai^pearance.  They  have  neat  ribbon 
bows  tied  around  their  necks,  and  certain  sides  of 
the  boxes  are  lined  with  satin.  In  front  of  one  of 
these  buildings  I  heard  a  man  calling  out : 

' '  Come  this  way !  come  this  way !  all  ye  who  hear 
my  voice.  We  have  on  exhibition  some  beautiful 
bosom  pets.  If  you  take  one  now,  while  it  is  young 
and  small,  you  can  train  it  to  your  liking,  and  I 
will  assure  you  that  you  will  not  only  have  a  novel 
pet,  but  that  you  will  be  safe  from  its  poison  for- 
ever. ' ' 

A  certain  young  man,  who  was  passing  near  by, 


Small  sins  grow  like  small  serpents,  and  if  not  cx)NQtrEBED, 

WILL   TAKE  TUEIB  VICTIMS  DOWN   TO  DEATH. 


A  SERPENT  SERMON.  37 

was  attracted  to  the  place,  and  with  suspicion,  he 
glanced  at  the  curious  little  pets. 

'  *  Are  these  not  deadly  snakes  that  you  offer  1 ' ' 

"Ha!  ha!"  laughed  the  Evil  One,  ''that  is  what 
some  people  call  them,  but  I  assure  you  that  you 
need  not  fear  them.  If  you  take  to  your  bosom  one 
of  these  beautiful  so-called  deadly  pets,  you  will 
not  only  be  free  from  danger  but  it  will  give  new 
warmth  to  your  heart  as  you  hold  it  there. ' ' 

*'I  don't  like  the  appearance  of  the  pets,"  com- 
mented the  young  man. 

' '  Perhaps  the  appearance  of  some  may  shock  you 
a  little  at  first,  but  if  you  will  look  over  the  whole 
assortment,  you  will  find  one  that  will  suit  your 
fancy  altogether. ' ' 

Then  the  wicked  fiend  spoke  very  fluently  about 
the  effect  that  these  little  charmers  had  on  the  pres- 
ent life.  Hia  words  were  making  a  favorable  im- 
pression on  the  young  man,  who  considered  himself 
proof  against  all  forms  of  temptation.  Strange  to 
say,  the  very  snake  that  had  impressed  him  so  hor- 
ribly a  short  time  before,  now  fascinated  him  al- 
together. He  stood  as  if  channed  by  the  little  ser- 
pent that  the  black  agent  held  coiled  in  his  hand. 

"This  is  my  choice,"  said  the  young  man  who 
willingly  agreed  to  pay  the  price,  which  was  noth- 


38  A  SERPENT  SEIIMON. 

ing  more  than  his  promise  to  give  it  a  place  above 
his  heart. 

The  young  man  carried  the  little  serpent  in  his 
breast  and  allowed  it  to  feed  upon  his  heart's  blood. 
The  snake  grew  so  slowly  tha-t  the  owner  did  not 
realize  with  what  increasing  danger  it  was  sapping 
his  life's  energies.  He  was  unconsciously  nursing 
an  enemy,  and  thereby  inviting  his  own  ruin  and 
death.  The  serpent  had  now  grown  large  enough 
that  it  could  playfully  wrap  itself  around  the  arm 
or  waist  of  the  young  man. 

In  the  course  of  time  the  foolish  young  man  saw 
very  clearly  that  if  he  would  not  conquer  the  ser- 
pent that  the  serpent  would  conquer  him.  So  he 
resolved  to  shake  the  serpent  off  or  kill  it  in  the  at- 
tempt. He  never  realized  until  then  how  it  had 
fastened  itself  upon  his  veiy  vitals,  and  that  he  was 
powerless  in  his  own  strength  to  overcome  the  en- 
emy. A  long  and  terrible  battle  was  fought.  The 
serpent  swung  itself  mightily  in  the  great  battle  and 
the  young  man,  in  desperation,  seized  it  and  tried 
to  crush  it  with  his  hands  or  stamp  it  with  his  feet. 
The  serpent  was  more  than  a  match  for  the  youth, 
who  called  out  mightily  for  help,  and  in  response  to 
his  pleadings  a  good  angel  came  to  him  and  said : 

''Let  Christ  into  your  heart  and  he  will  destroy 
the  deadly  serpent  of  sin  and  will  make  you  free 
again. ' ' 


A  SERPENT  SEEMON.  39 

To  these  welcome  words  the  young  man  gave 
heed  and  was  ahnost  persuaded  to  accept  Christ 
when  Satan,  robed  like  an  angel,  stole  to  his  side 
and  whispered : 

"Don't  be  foolish,  young  man.  You  must  not 
expect  to  find  help  from  some  outside  power,  you 
are  fully  able  to  help  yourself.  Since  you  are 
blessed  with  a  strong  mind  of  your  own,  why  go 
begging  like  a  little  child  for  help?  Is  it  not  more 
honorable  to  die  like  a  hero  fighting  your  own  bat- 
tle, than  to  be  a  weakling  or  a  coward?" 

''But  I  will  be  forever  lost,  if  I  don't  get  rid  of 
this  sin.  I  cannot  conquer  it  myself,  for  I  have  al- 
ready spent  all  my  eneiigy  in  trjdng  to  do  so." 

Then  Satan  tempted  him  another  way  by  appeal- 
ing to  his  pride,  and  after  that  by  trying  to  frighten 
him.  But  all  these  proved  futile,  and  the  young 
man  turned  to  the  better  angel  and  to  Christ  who  is 
able  to  deliver.  His  repentance  and  confession 
brought  down  the  power  that  destroyed  the  serpent, 
and  the  young  man  r.ejoiced  greatly  in  his  freedom. 


'^DWC^ 


fairs  as  to  make  it  pay. 


*'If  a  man  enter  upon 
some  kind  of  business  to 
gain  a  livelihood  for  him- 
self and  family,  it  is  his 
duty  to  so  conduct  his  af- 
A  business  man  has  the 


right  to  perform  certain  tricks  which  in  them- 
selves are  perfectly  proper,  even  though  the  world 
or  the  church  may  condemn  them.  People  who  are 
not  in  business  do  not  fully  understand  how  many 
intricate  problems  there  are  to  solve  and  how 
many  little  trials  there  are  to  bear." 

* '  To  state  the  whole  matter  briefly,  I  would  say 
that  a  soft,  tender  conscience  and  a  wide-awake 
business  man  make  poor  companions.  If  you  wish 
to  succeed  in  business  you  must  observe  the  fol- 
lowing rules : 
I.  ' '  Learn  to  prevaricate  without  lying. ' ' 
''Prevarication  is  pleasing  to  the  people  and 
without  it  you  will  have  a  disappointed  class  of 


SATAN'S  BUSINESS  ADVICE.  41 

customers.  It  is  certain  that  people  expect  you  to 
shade  the  truth  a  little,  or  they  would  not  ask  such 
foolish  questions  most  every  time  they  come  to  pur- 
chase. If  you  are  selling  an  article  worth  one  dol- 
lar, the  customer  is  pleased  if  you  tell  him  that  it  is 
worth  two  dollars.  He  is  not  particular  whether 
you  are  telling  the  truth  or  not.  All  he  cares  about 
is  that  he  can  tell  his  friends  that  he  is  wearing  an 
article  worth  two  dollars." 

2.  ** Become  expert  in  the  use  of  'bluff.'  " 

'■  '■  Bluff  is  the  most  modem  way  of  lying  without 
violating  the  law.  In  purchasing  goods  you  can  so 
talk  that  the  manufacturer  will  believe  that  you 
can  buy  cheaper  elsewhere.  If  you  put  these  bluffs 
at  him  in  a  modern  style,  it  may  compel  him  to 
yield,  and  perchance  you  may  clear  several  dollars 
in  your  deal. ' ' 

3.  ''You  must  learn  to  make  heavy  profits  wher- 
ever you  can. ' ' 

"Your  policy  should  be  to  get  for  an  article 
what  you  can  and  not  what  is  right.  You  will  find 
that  before  you  are  through  with  your  business  ca- 
reer that  you  need  all  the  margins  that  it  is  possible 
for  you  to  make.  You  should,  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible, have  a  reserve  fund  so  as  to  be  prepared  for 
any  emergency." 


42  SATAN'S  BUSINESS  ADVICE. 

4.  '*You  must  learn  the  art  of  adulteration  and 
make  use  of  this  knowledge  to  best  advantage. ' ' 

5.  **In  order  to  avoid  competition,  form  a  mo- 
nopoly if  possible. ' ' 

''This  is  the  great  secret  of  large  business  suc- 
cess. You  could  not  expect  to  become  a  power  in 
the  business  world  so  long  as  you  are  hampered 
with  a  lot  of  small  trade  centers,  each  one  doing  a 
business  similar  to  your  own.  The  motto  of  the 
age  is :  Combine  interests,  either  drown  out  or  buy 
out  the  small  firms,  and  get  a  full  control  of  the  line 
of  business  which  you  represent.  Do  not  allow  the 
cries  of  a  weak  reformer  or  a  nervous  public  to 
make  you  believe  that  this  is  wrong.  You  must 
stick  to  the  policy  that  anything  is  right  that  you 
can  do  and  escape  from  the  civil  law. ' ' 


When  one  studies  the  methods  of  Satan  in  the 
business  world  he  is  strongly  impressed  with  the 
numberless  ways  in  which  dishonesty  and  decep- 
tion are  practiced  under  a  cloak  of  lighteousness. 
Satan  says  with  a  show  of  boldness  that ' '  A  tender 
conscience  and  a  wide-awake  business  man  make 
poor  companions."  This  is  a  false  statement  and 
is  only  believed  by  the  man  or  woman  whose  con- 


A  REPLY  TO  SATAN'S  BUSINESS  ADVICE.  43 

science  has  already  been  warped.  In  business  or  in 
any  other  vocation  the  only  way  to  reach  real  suc- 
cess is  by  the  way  of  honesty.  It  is  true  that  a  ras- 
cal may  endure  for  a  season,  and  heap  unto  himself 
great  wealth  and  thus  appear  to  enjoy  the  highest 
success  in  life,  but  all  this  will  prove  in  the  end  a 
curse  to  him. 

The  majority  of  those  who  fail  in  business  are 
not  the  conscientious  men,  but  those  who  have  had 
their  ears  open,  more  or  less,  to  Satan's  business 
advice.  We  have  a  sure  word  of  prophecy  that 
rings  out  the  following  note:  ''As  the  partridge 
sitteth  on  her  eggs,  and  hatcheth  them  not;  so  he 
that  getteth  riches,  and  not  by  right,  shall  leave 
them  in  the  midst  of  his  days,  and  at  liis  end  shall 
be  a  fool."  Jer.  17-11. 

Satan  gives  a  few  rules  which  he  claims  must  be 
observed  if  one  would  wish  to  reach  success  in  bus- 
iness. The  first  one  is  "Learn  to  prevaricate  with- 
out lying."  This  is  only  another  way  of  saying, 
learn  to  tell  a  falsehood  without  lying.  The  only 
safe  way  in  business  is  to  tell  the  truth.  By  doing 
so,  you  may  occasionally  lose  a  sale  or  a  customer 
but  your  loss  will  be  your  gain.  Your  truthful 
qualities  will  lift  you  gradually  to  a  substantial 
throne  of  honor. 

"Bluff"  is  the  refuge  of  the  hypocrite.  There 
are  times  when  one  has  a  right  to  pass  off  a  pleas- 
antry or  an  innocent  joke,  but  whenever  anything 
of  this  kind  is  used  to  cover  real  facts  in  a  business 
deal,  then  it  changes  to  the  color  of  a  lie. 


44  A  EEPLY  TO  SATAN'S  BUSINESS  ADVICE. 

In  the  third  advice  given  by  Satan  there  is  a  pe- 
culiar mingling  of  truth  and  error  and  it  is  in  such 
kinds  of  arguments  that  Satan  ripens  the  mind  for 
greater  error.  It  is  not  always  right  to  get  what 
you  can  for  a  commodity.  There  is  a  difference  be- 
tween might  and  right  and  there  are  thousands 
who  take  advantage  of  situations  especially  in  mo- 
nopolizing, and  by  getting  what  they  can  they  get 
considerably  more  than  what  is  right  or  just.  There 
is  no  rule  in  business  so  precious  as  the  Golden 
Eule. 

One  need  not  resort  to  unlawful  adulteration  or 
to  any  other  type  of  illegal  or  unrighteous  actions. 
This  is  the  Devil's  pathway  of  success  down  to 
eternal  destruction.  If  you  are  honest  and  right- 
eous to  your  full  ability,  you  will  enjoy  the  peace 
of  a  clear  conscience  through  all  your  business 
years,  and  in  the  evening  of  life  you  will  have  pre- 
cious meditations  and  the  sweetest  reflections.  And 
most  glorious  of  all  when  your  eyes  close  to  this 
life,  Eternity  will  dawn  with  a  full  radiance  of  im- 
mortal glory  and  you  will  be  receiving  your  re- 
ward forever. 


NOTE:  The  following  incident  is  taken  from  actual  life.  It 
is  no  imaginary  sketch  or  fanciful  picture.  The  author  is 
not  sure  whether  it  was  a  case  of  delirium  tremens  or  not. 

Satan  appeared  to  a  saloon-keeper  who  was  ly- 
ing in  great  stress  upon  his  deathbed,  and  spoke 
to  him  as  follows : 

''Let  me  give  you  one  more  sermon,  old  fellow, 
before  you  reach  your  reward.  You  have  done  a 
noble  service.  You  have  served  me  well,  and  sure- 
ly I  will  not  forsake  you  in  this  hour  of  death.  You 
need  not  become  frightened  at  my  presence.  Come ! 
come !  stop  your  agitations, ' '  continued  the  Devil, 
''you  need  not  be  alarmed." 

"Oh  horrors!  oh  horrors!"  shrieked  the  poor 
man,  "would  to  God  that  I  could  have  a  new  lease 
of  life!  How  can  I  go  out  into  this  darkness 
alone  ? ' ' 

' '  I  will  be  with  you  to  hold  your  hand,  and  lead 
you  to  your  reward,"  assured  the  Devil. 

Then  the  poor  wretcli  tried  to  concentrate  his 


46  DEATH  OF  A  SALOOA-KEEPER. 

thoughts  on  noble  things,  but  his  sins  arose  before 
him  like  mountains,  and  he  could  review  their  ter- 
rors before  his  eyes. 

''0!  what  shall  I  do  with  my  sins;  my  awful 
sins;  my  many,  many  sins?"  he  groaned  aloud. 

'  *  Trouble  yourself  not,  forget  about  them  and  be 
at  peace,"  came  the  voice  of  Satan,  whose  real  form 
was  now  gradually  unfolding  itself  to  the  dying 
man,  at  which  the  saloon-keeper  shrank  back  upon 
his  pillow  and  lifted  his  bony  fingers  in  terror. 

''Keep  back!  keep  back!  come  no  nearer,"  con- 
tinued his  heart-breaking  appeals.  Satan  and  his 
imps  continued  to  advance  and  they  all  tried  to  look 
as  beautiful  as  possible.  But  they  could  no  longer 
mask  themselves.  The  struggling  man  tried  to  find 
rest  by  fastening  his  eyes  elsewhere.  But  the  ter- 
rible visage  of  Satan  was  so  appalling,  that  he 
could  not  take  his  eyes  therefrom. 

Death  drew  still  nearer  and  the  struggle  of  the 
unfortunate  man  became  more  intense.  He  made 
one  last  effort  to  seek  refuge  somewhere,  but  just 
at  that  moment,  each  one  of  the  little  company  of 
imps  presented  his  claim.  This  so  distracted  the 
mind  of  the  man  that  his  actions  were  similar  to  a 
raving  maniac. 

''I  claim  your  love,"  demanded  the  first  imp. 

*'And  I  claim  your  time,"  demanded  another, 


DEATH  OF  A  SALOON-KEEPER.  47 

whose  grinning  countenance  was  most  terrible  to 
behold. 

''I  demand  your  attention,"  spoke  a  third  in  a 
tone  most  grinding  and  severe. 

' '  I  demand  your  talents  throughout  all  eternity, ' ' 
spoke  the  most  horrible  imiD  of  all  the  company. 

"And  I  demand  your  sacrifices  to  be  given  will- 
ingly in  the  kingdom  to  come, ' '  cried  out  another. 

And  still  another  in  mockery  said :  "I  demand 
your  service, ' '  but  before  the  imp  had  finished  his 
words,  Satan  himself  cried  out,  ''I  demand  your 
soul,  y9ur  life,  your  all. ' '  At  this  saying  the  imps 
formed  a  cordon  around  the  bed,  and  the  miserable 
man  crouched  anew  at  their  uncanny  movements. 

lie  had  been  sick  for  many  weeks  and  refused 
nearly  all  food.  He  had  so  fallen  away  in  flesh  that 
scarcely  anything  but  skin  lay  over  his  bones.  His 
eyes  were  sunken  and  he  presented  an  awful  ap- 
pearance as  he  was  struggling  in  a  terrible  effort 
to  escape  from  the  cordon  of  imps. 

He  sprang  back  against  the  head-board  of  the 
bed,  lifting  his  bony  fingers  like  claws,  as  he 
screamed  out:  ''Take  them  away!  take  them 
away!"  His  cries  were  so  horrible  that  no  one 
could  remain  in  the  room  with  him,  even  his  wife 
was  compelled  to  leave  and  not  one  of  his  old  chums 
could  stand  so  terrible  a  picture  of  death.    Some 


48  DEATH  OF  A  SALOON-KEEPER. 

one  hastened  to  the  home  of  a  minister  in  the  mid- 
night hour,  and  urged  him  to  come  up  at  once  to 
the  hotel,  and  pray  with  the  dying  man.  The  min- 
ister hastily  dressed  and  with  Bible  in  hand,  soon 
entered  the  hotel  and  noticed  the  terror-stricken 
people  all  around,  who  begged  him  to  go  into  the 
next  room  and  do  what  he  could  for  the  poor  man. 
The  situation  tested  the  courage  of  the  minister, 
for  as  he  approached  the  room,  he  heard  the  un- 
earthly shrieks  of  the  dying  man,  and  upon  opening 
the  door,  found  that  all  had  deserted  the  room.  He 
prayed  for  courage,  and  thus  strengthened  he  walk- 
ed with  a  steady  tread  up  to  the  bedside  of  the  man, 
and  opened  his  Bible  before  him.  Suddenly  there 
was  a  calm,  and  for  the  first  time  in  many  hours, 
the  poor  wretch  sank  down  upon  his  pillow  in  quiet- 
ness. 

At  this  sudden  turn,  some  ventured  into  the 
room  and  all  stood  as  still  as  death,  and  the  dying 
man  lay  motionless,  as  the  minister  read  from  the 
word  of  God  and  spoke  to  him.  It  seemed  that 
even  the  devils  dared  not  advance  farther  while  the 
Word  of  God  was  being  uttered  in  their  hearing. 

The  minister,  after  a  long  conference,  found  that 
nothing  more  could  be  done  and  was  compelled  to 
go.  After  he  had  left  the  room,  tlie  same  terrible 
scenes  followed.    The  poor  wretch  continuously 


DEATH  OF  A  SALOON-KEEPER.  49 

cried  out  in  anguish  and  in  the  pathos  of  appeal- 
ing: ''Take  them  away!  keep  them  back!"  No 
one  could  check  the  march  of  the  very  devils  that 
were  advancing  to  claim  their  own,  and  not  being 
able  to  remain  in  the  room  they  all  forsook  him 
again. 

All  this  terrible  tragedy  continued  until  the  poor 
body  of  the  dying  man  left  go  of  its  spirit,  which 
seemed  lo  satisfy  this  pack  of  demons,  like  a  piece 
of  flesh  quiets  a  pack  of  pursuing  wolves. 


If  a  person  is  prepared  to  meet 
death  he  can  pass  out  of  this  life  in 
mighty  triumph,  but  what  can  be 
more  terrible  than  the  death  of  the 
wicked?  To  such  death  comes  in  its 
worst  features.  Some  may  not  die 
with  shrieks  of  terror  on  their  lips, 
but  their  inward  pangs  cannot  be  de- 
scribed. The  picture  on  the  opposite 
page  does  not  exaggerate  the  horri- 
ble experiences  of  some  who  have  re- 
jected God  through  life.  The  Evil 
Spirits  can  be  seen  best  when  the  cur- 
tain of  mortality  is  falling.  The  only 
way  to  a  happy  death  is  by  a  righte- 
ous life. 


60 


"The  saloon-keeper  shrank  back  upon  his  pillow  and  lifted 

HIS  bony  fingers   in  terror.     X    X     X     Satan   and  his 

imps  continue  to  advance,  and  they  all  tried  to  look 

AS  beautiful  as  possible." 


'The  sweet  angels  carried  him  in  abounding  triumph  above 

THE  enemy's  reach.   WHERE  HIS   LIBERATED   SOUL  COULD   HEAR 
THE    MUSIC  OK   THE   SPHERES   AND  THE   CHOIRS  INVISIBLE." 


tafmm 


— 


iging  Olljrtfittan 


- 


Satan  knows  that  it  pays  to  preach  a  sermon  to 
one.  He  clings  to  the  proverb:  ''Handpicked 
fruit  is  the  choicest. ' '  He  crowded  his  way  to  the 
side  of  a  dying  man,  and  tried  to  interject  his 
deathly  sentences. 

''At  last  the  long-looked-for  event  is  at  hand. 
You  are  now  entering  the  dark  shadows  of  death, 
and  will  find  that  your  Christian  faith  is  worthless 
in  this  hour  of  your  greatest  need.  Religion  may 
be  good  enough  to  live  by,  but  it  is  a  poor  staff 
upon  which  to  lean  at  such  a  time  as  this.  Death 
and  religion  can  no  more  mix  than  oil  and  water. 
The  imaginary  power  of  Christ  to  save  you,  may 
be  a  comfort  to  you  in  the  ordinary  days  of  life,  but 
in  the  presence  of  so  stem  a  reality  as  death,  it  is 
of  no  avail.  Therefore  you  have  prayed  and 
served  in  vain,  and  I  urge  you  to  forsake  God  as 
you  feel  the  effects  of  this  terrible  darkness  creep- 
ing upon  you. ' ' 

''Paul  may  have  cried  out,  '0  death,  where  is 


54  SEUMON  TO  A  DYl.NCJ  CHlllSTIAN. 

thy  sting.'  Any  man  could  talk  that  way  when 
he  was  so  far  away  from  death  as  Paul  was.  Let 
me  assure  you  that  there  is  a  sting  to  death,  so 
sharp  that  no  one  can  eVade  its  pangs.  The  rich- 
est of  all  the  earth,  with  the  poorest,  have  alike 
shared  its  stings.  If  the  graves  could  open  their 
mouths,  they  would  speak  dark  words  to  you  more 
convincing  than  any  of  the  arguments  that  I  could 
put  forth. ' ' 

Then  the  dying  man,  feeling  the  dark  breath  of 
temptation  upon  him,  shouted  out  in  clear  words : 
''Stand  back,  ye  demons  of  darkness.  Make  room 
for  the  coming  King  and  his  angels."  But  Satan 
refused  to  move  an  inch.  He  stood  defiantly  and 
with  a  show  of  boldness  spake  again : 

'*I  have  a  claim  upon  you,  and  you  must  not 
think  that  you  can  push  me  away  so  lightly.  What 
care  I  for  a  convoy  of  angels  or  your  so-called 
Master.  All  such  nonsense  is  only  an  outgrowth 
of  your  diseased  imagination.  Listen  to  me  and 
stop  this  wild  dreaming  and  these  foolish  actions. 
Why  stand  on  such  a  flimsy  foundation  when  you 
are  in  need  of  a  rock?  Once  more  I  urge  you  to 
forsake  your  God,  your  Christ,  your  Bible  and 
your  experience,  and  I  will  reward  you  a  thousand 
times  more  by  and  by. ' ' 


SERMON  TO  A  DYING  CHRISTIAN.  55 

Then,  from  one  unseen,  came  the  words  softly 
but  in  tones  of  deep  assurance : 

''Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  thou  art 
with  me,  they  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me. ' ' 

The  dying  man  was  strengthened  by  these  sweet 
sentences,  and  without  fear  he  commanded  the 
tempter:  "Away  from  me,  you  deceiver,  I  will 
trimiiph  through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  and  in  the 
name  of  Him  who  holds  the  keys  of  Death  and 
Hell." 

"I  will  not  away  until  my  claim  is  settled," 
stoutly  declared  the  enemy. 

"Again  I  say  stand  back.  You  are  a  Devil,  a 
robber,  a  liar,  full  of  all  subtlety.  If  you  will  not 
go  at  my  words,  I  now  command  you  to  leave  me 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  my  Redeemer. ' ' 

At  this  Satan  drew  his  foul  length  to  one  side 
only  to  make  room  for  a  hideous  monster  called 
Death,  who  by  its  awful  presence,  hoped  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  the  dying  man  from  his 
faith. 

"AVhat  terrible  creature  is  this?"  gasped  the 
dying  man  in  his  weakening  breath. 

"This  is  death  itself,"  answered  Satan  in 
threatening  tones,  "and  be  assured  that  nothing 
like  the  faith  of  religion  can  overcome  its  pres- 


5G  SEllMON  TO  A  DYING  CHRISTIAN. 

ence.  I  command  you  once  more  to  forsake  your 
religion  and  your  God  and  trust  yourself  to  me." 

Then  did  the  dying  man  lift  his  eyes  of  faith 
steadfastly  above,  just  as  death  would  have  sent  its 
sharp  sting  into  his  soul.  Happy  was  the  man  to 
find  that  he  was  covered  with  a  shield  that  not  only 
kept  away  the  stings,  but  also  hid  the  form  of  the 
terrible  monster.  Then  came  a  flood  of  light  from 
the  celestial  world,  which  revealed  to  him  a  new 
vision  of  his  blessed  Redeemer  who  had  conquered 
Death,  Hell  and  the  Grave. 

This  same  Redeemer  with  his  outstretched 
hand  touched  the  dying  saint  upon  the  head,  and 
filled  him  with  glory  unspeakable.  As  the  Chris- 
tian breathed  his  last  breath,  he  felt  a  dull  thud 
of  the  enemy's  attack,  but  it  struck  no  more  than 
the  shield  behind  which  he  was  safe  forever. 
Christ  caught  him  away  from  the  darksome  shad- 
ows, and  the  sweet  angels  carried  him  in  abound- 
ing triumph  above  the  enemy's  reach  where  his 
liberated  soul  could  hear  the  music  of  the  spheres 
and  the  choirs  invisible. 


%T^/^ fue^^"^ 


TO:*- 


Subject:    The  disg^race  of  having  children. 

''Wliat  a  blessed  creature  you  are 
that  fortune  has  smiled  upon  you  so 
graciously.  In  the  possession  of  so  much  wealth 
you  have  the  noblest  thing  in  life,  for  it  is 
the  means  whereby  everything  else  can  be  se- 
cured, and  is  indeed  the  secret  of  all  true  happi- 
ness. Money  is  power,  and  the  absence  of  it  causes 
dependence,  misery  and  a  long  list  of  humiliating 
conditions. ' ' 

''But  of  what  use  is  your  wealth  if  you  do  not 
allow  it  to  bring  you  the  greatest  amount  of  hap- 
piness %  If  you  would  be  true  to  society,  and  most 
sensible  to  yourself,  you  will  see  to  it  that  in  all 
your  married  life  you  will  not  be  cursed  with 
children.  Let  others,  who  are  less  fortunate  than 
you,  bear  such  burdens.  You  need  all  your  time 
to  fulfill  your  engagements,  which  are  more  nu- 
merous and  more  important  by  reason  of  your 
wealth.    Disregard  all  this  foolish  talk  about  the 


58  PKEACHING  TO  A  SOCIETY  WOMAN. 

inevitable  yearning  for  motherhood,  and  hold 
your  grand  receptions  and  take  your  seasonable 
excursions  and  be  ready  at  all  times  to  enjoy  the 
high  and  medium  art  of  the  stage. ' ' 

''Why  should  your  diamonds  and  your  silks  be 
idle  for  many  months  just  for  the  pui*pose  of  hav- 
ing a  child  of  your  own,  especially  in  these  days 
when  beautiful  poodle  dogs  can  be  had  for  a  mere 
song.  Such  creatures  will  not  compel  you  to  re- 
main at  home  when  you  have  a  desire  to  go  any- 
where. ' ' 

"If,  in  the  hour  of  your  wealaiess,  you  should 
crave  for  a  cooing  smile  from  a  child  of  your  own, 
or  should  wish,  to  enjoy  the  thrill  of  two  baby  eyes 
looking  into  your  own,  you  must  remember  that 
these  are  blind  calls  of  nature  to  which  your  sensi- 
tive heart  need  not  give  heed.  You  must  learn  as 
early  in  life  as  possible  to  be  your  own  mistress 
and  let  judgment  instead  of  sentiment  control 
you. ' ' 

"You  can  comfort  yourself  with  the  thought  that 
the  God  of  earth  and  Heaven  has  destined  you  to 
fill  one  of  the  noblest  places  in  the  society  of  earth. 
The  real  truth  of  the  whole  matter  is  this:  the 
bearing  of  children  is  an  eternal  disgrace,  but  in 
order  to  comfort  the  women  who  impose  upon 
themselves  this  condition^  the  poets  and  philoso- 


PREACHING  TO  A  SOCIETY  WOMAN.  59 

phers  have  lauded  the  mother  with  her  children. 
Surely  you  need  not  share  in  the  disgrace  since 
you  are  enlightened,  and  since  you  have  abund- 
ant wealth  to  keep  you  employed  profitably  all  the 
time. ' ' 

SOME  THINGS  SATAN  FORGOT  TO  PUT  INTO  THIS 

SERMON. 

1.  He  forgot  to  tell  this  woman  that  the  history 
of  all  ages  proves  that  the  disgrace  rests  upon  the 
one  in  wedlock  who  refuses  motherhood. 

2.  He  forgot  to  tell  her  that  if  she  heeded  his 
doctrine  4ier  life  would  drift  into  an  emptiness 
which  nothing  in  the  world  could  fill. 

3.  He  also  forgot  to  mention  that  all  her  wealth 
could  not  satisfy  the  instincts  of  human  nature. 
The  mother  and  the  babe  form  a  perfect  pair,  and 
estch.  one  needs  the  other  to  reach  the  highest  hap- 
piness. 


eacAwfr  ^^wdiur/aw, 


At  last  the  Devil  has  succeeded 
in  establishing  certain  churches, 
wherein  his  up-to-date  business 
methods  are  employed.  He  claims  that  the 
church  that  offers  religion  at  the  lowest  prices, 
and  throws  out  the  best  inducements  other- 
wise, will  be  patronized  the  most.  Some  churches 
agree  to  let  people  have  religion  for  $10  a  year, 
more  or  less.  In  these  kinds  of  churches  a  person 
can  do  as  he  pleases,  providing  he  is  a  little  dis- 
creet about  it.  The  Devil  does  not  always  advise 
a  man  to  push  his  sin  into  daylight.  He  rather 
tells  him  to  keep  in  the  dark,  and  to  be  careful  and 
pay  his  instalments  to  the  church  regularly. 

As  you  look  into  some  of  the  worldly  churches 
and  see  what  splendid  offers  they  are  making,  you 
are  not  surprised  that  Satan  is  getting  a  foothold 
to  an  alarming  extent.  Wlierever  he  is  allowed, 
he  stands  behind  the  curtains,  giving  his  inspira- 
tion and  advice  to  all  who  will  give  heed.  True 
enough  there  is  a  competition  in  church  enter- 


'  PREACHING  BEHIND  CURTAINS.  61 

prises  that  is  born  of  Heaven,  but  also,  without 
a  doubt,  there  is  a  rivalry  that  is  prompted  by  the 
Devil. 

The  outgrowth  of  this  unholy  rivalry  is  seen  far 
and  wide.  Much  energy  is  expended  so  that  one 
church  may  have  more  prestige  than  another.  To 
accomplish  this  end,  the  church  is  guilty  of  count- 
less follies  and  indiscretions,  all  practiced  in  the 
name  of  religion.  Under  such  conditions  Satan 
has  more  than  little  reason  to  rejoice. 

Among  the  church  organizations  above  referred 
to,  the  competition  is  somewhat  after  the  fashion 
of  business  houses  along  the  streets  of  a  city.  If 
your  mind  is  unbiased  and  your  eyes  sharp 
enough,  you  can  read  many  of  the  signs  that  these 
churches  fling  to  the  breeze.  They  are  written  in 
a  beautiful  and  unassuming  manner,  but  after 
they  are  faithfully  interpreted  into  common  Eng- 
lish, some  of  them  read  as  follows : 

Repentance  Very  Cheap. 

We  Will  Give  You  the  Latest  Kind; 

Better  Than  Any.  Other  Church  Offers 

Apply  at  the  Parsonage 

Faith  at  Half-Price  To-day. 
A  Few  Remnants  of  the  Old  Style  Left 


g2  PREACHING  BEHIND  CURTAINS. 

Which  We  Offer  Free, 
As  We  Wish  to  Make  Room  for 
The  New  Styles  Just  Imported. 

We  Have  the  Finest  Church. 

You  Will  Be 

Just  in  it 

If  You  Unite  With  Us. 

Confession  of  Christ. 

We  Can  Point  Out  to  You 

Some  New  and  Easy  Ways 

of  Satisfying 

The  Demands  of  Christ 

Without  Humiliation  to  Yourself. 

Religion  on  Easy  Terms. 

The  Whole  Consignment  Delivered  at  Once, 

To  be  Paid  for 

By  Monthly  Instalments. 
No  Other  Church  Offers  an  Equal  Bargain, 

We  Have  the  Widest  Doors. 
You  Can  Easily  Enter  Our  Church 
With  the  World  Under  One  Arm 

and  Christ  Under  the  Other, 


PEEACHING  BEHIND  CUKTAINS.  S3 

We  Are  Most  Liberal  on  Baptism. 

With  or  Without  Water  Will  Do. 

Walking  Through  the  Rain  Will  Answer. 

As  a  person  sees  the  inducements  offered  by  the 
church,  he  begins  to  understand  why  some 
churches  are  doing  so  little  thorough  work  for  the 
Master.  Some  churches  by  their  actions,  seem  to 
advertise  thus: 

We  Have  the  Finest  Pews, 

Cushioned  Seats, 

Easy  Backs  and 
Comfortable  in  Every  Way. 

We  Have  a  Sivell  Preacher, 

One  Who  Observes  the  Styles. 

His  Education  is  ''Out  of  Sight,'* 

His  Maimer  is  Graceful. 

There  is  No  Other  Like  Him. 

Our  Choir  is  the  Finest  in  the  City; 

The  Soprano  is  a  Star, 

The  Alto  Sings  Like  an  Angel, 

The  Organist  is  an  Expert  Manipulator 


64         PEEACHING  BEHIND  CUKTAINS. 

The  Devil  has  succeeded  in  getting  some  seem- 
ingly good  people  to  advertise  their  own  goodness 
somewhat  after  the  following  manner: 

We  Are  Holy. 
Better  Than  Other  People. 

What  We  Do  is  Right. 
If  You  Don't  Do  As  We  Do, 

Then  You  Are  Wrong. 

I  Wear  Plain  Clothing— 

Much  Plainer  Than  You  Wear. 

My  Clothing  is  Pleasing  to  God. 

If  Your  Clothing 

Is  Not  Like  My  Clothing 

Then  You  Had  Better  Make 

a  Change. 

I  Understand  the  Bible  Very  Well- 
Better  Than  You  Do. 
If  Your  Opinions  Are  Different 
From  Mine, 
Then  You  Are  Wrong. 


>0tm 


+♦] 

**\ 
++1 

++! 


^an^ 


It^his  0f  ^atan  gj^^^g 


Expressed  to  a  Church-Member  who  wished  to  know 
if  a  lie  was  ever  justifiable. 

'*To  tell  the  truth  on  the  subject  of  lying  is 
harder  to  do  than  some  people  imagine,  just  be- 
cause certain  persons  believe  a  lie  should  not  be 
told  under  any  circumstances.  If  this  last  view- 
were  correct,  then  we  would  have  an  easy  solution 
of  a  difficult  problem.  But  when  one  is  anxious 
to  give  the  whole  truth  on  this  subject,  he  will  look 
at  it  from  a  sensible  standpoint,  notwithstanding 
how  much  labor  of  thought  must  thereby  be  ex- 
pended. ' ' 

' '  There  are  certain  times  in  life  when  it  is  right 
to  tell  a  lie.  I  will  therefore  satisfy  your  wishes 
by  giving  a  few  instances  when  a  lie  is  justifiable. ' ' 

1.  ''When  a  lie  is  a  harmless  one." 

''There  are  many  times  when  you  can  tell  a  lie 
that  will  do  a  great  amount  of  good  and  will  do 
no  harm  to  the  one  you  tell  it.  Anybody  ought  to 
know  that  under  such  circumstances  it  would  not 
be  wrong  to  lie.    If  we  had  more  lying  of  this  kind 


GG  VIEWS  OF  SATAN  ON  LYING. 

there  would  be  more  people  made  happy.  How 
foolish  a  person  is  to  think  that  he  must  tell  the 
truth  even  when  it  results  in  a  great  amount  of 
suffering,  envy  or  disgrace.  Of  course,  if  the  lie 
is  calculated  to  do  an  injury  to  your  neighbor, 
then  that  gives  a  new  color  to  the  whole  situation, 
and  you  should  hesitate  at  such  a  time. ' ' 

2.  "You  have  a  right  to  tell  a  lie  if  you  aim 
thereby  to  do  good  to  the  church  or  somebody 
else. ' ' 

"To  speak  the  truth  at  all  times  will  only  mean 
that  you  will  be  in  trouble  over  half  the  time.  But 
to  tell  a  lie  so  that  good  may  be  done  by  it  will  keep 
things  running  smoothly  and  peace  will  prevail. 
In  telling  a  lie  be  sure  to  cover  your  tracks  as  you 
go  so  that  your  Ire  will  be  hidden.  If  your  false- 
hood should  be  discovered  it  will  tend  to  weaken 
your  influence  with  those  whom  you  know.  Re- 
member it  is  not  the  lying  that  hurts  a  person,  it 
is  only  when  the  lie  is  found  out.  My  advice  to 
you  is  to  go  ahead  and  make  all  the  plans  you  can 
for  the  furthering  of  anything  good  in  the  church 
or  outside  of  the  church,  and  when  you  find  that 
you  cannot  carry  out  your  plans  in  an  easy  natural 
way  of  truth,  then  manufacture  some  lie  by  which 
you  can  push  your  scheme  through.  In  this  way 
you  can  do  a  great  amount  of  good,  and  you  must 


VIEWS  OF  SATAN  ON  LYING.  67 

give  the  lie  the  credit  for  helping  you  to  success. 
I  think  you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  seeing  this 
point,  and  hope  you  will  experience  no  trouble  in 
following  this  advice." 

3.  *'It  is  certainly  proper  to  tell  a  lie  if  you  wish 
to  save  somebody  from  a  shock  or  spare  him  from 
mental  anxiety  or  pain." 

*'You  will  be  surprised  to  know  how  many  peo- 
ple there  are  who  are  so  squeezed  up  in  a  straight 
jacket  that  their  consciences  trouble  them  if  they 
tell  a  lie  even  as  an  act  of  mercy.  I  met  a  man  a 
short  time  ago  who  was  sent  to  break  the  news  to 
a  poor  mother  that  her  husband  was  killed. 
When  he  first  reached  her,  he  spoke  of  her  husband 
as  being  taken  ill  very  suddenly  and  that  he  would 
be  brought  home.  After  the  poor  woman  was 
nerved  to  this  sad  report,  he  told  her  still  further 
that  he  feared  that  he  would  not  be  alive  until  he 
would  reach  home.  Thus  by  gradual  steps  he  pre- 
pared her  mind  for  the  arrival  of  her  dead  com- 
panion. After  the  man  had  done  his  work  and  re- 
turned to  his  home,  his  conscience  upbraided  him 
because  he  had  at  first  misrepresented  the  situa- 
tion to  the  widow. ' ' 

"I  will  let  you  form  your  own  conclusion  con- 
cerning this  case.  Now  if  it  is  right  to  cover  up 
the  truth  in  such  an  instance,  is  it  not  also  right 


68  VIEWS  OF  SATAN  ON  LYING. 

to  tell  a  lie  under  similar  circumstances  I  Suppose 
a  cliurcli-member  hears  a  damaging  rumor  against 
herself  which  is  being  circulated  over  the  whole 
community.  I  would  consider  it  the  act  of  an 
angel  if  somebody  would  tell  her  that  the  rumor 
is  without  any  foundation  whatever,  and  that  it 
was  never  started  as  it  is  now  being  circulated. 
Suppose  a  husband  has  been  unfaithful  to  his  wife, 
would  it  not  be  perfectly  proper  for  some  one  to 
tell  a  lie  by  saying  that  she  was  laboring  under  a 
misapprehension?  Would  it  not  be  a  great  com- 
fort to  her  if  you  could  make  her  believe  that  she 
was  wrong  in  her  suspicions?  So  I  could  go  on 
and  give  you  many  instances  in  which  it  would  be 
proper  to  tell  a  lie.  Let  me  once  more  urge  an  im- 
portant point.  Be  sure,  when  you  tell  a  lie,  that 
you  are  reasonably  safe  from  being  detected." 

4.  ''It  is  proper  to  tell  a  lie  when  you  hoj:>e  to 
be  charitable  to  somebody.  The  Bible  is  so  full  of 
teaching  on  charity  that  you  will  be  glad  for  an 
opportunity  to  practice  it  in  this  manner." 

''If  a  person  has  a  fault,  and  some  one  asks  you 
about  that  person,  would  it  not  be  kind  in  you  to 
cover  up  the  fault?  If  a  person  has  an  ugly  dis- 
position, would  it  not  be  kindness  on  your  part  to 
conceal  this  characteristic?  Suppose  a  person  is 
cursed  with  a  bad  temper,  would  it  not  be  an  act 


VIEWS  OF  SATAN  ON  LYING.  gg 

of  charity  if  you  were  to  speak  kindly  of  his  weak- 
ness to  some  one  else?  Always  make  some  kind 
of  an  apology  for  the  sins  and  weaknesses  of  oth- 
ers, so  that  the  burdens  of  the  weak  will  be  light- 
ened. As  you  walk  along  the  pathway  of  life,  you 
will  find  many  opportunities  of  this  kind  to  im- 
prove. How  could  you  fulfill  scripture  more  than 
if  you  practice  after  this  advice.  This  kind  of 
charity  you  can  practice,  and  how  can  you  do  it 
without  the  convenient  use  of  a  little  falsehood 
now  and  then." 

5.  ''You  certainly  have  a  right  to  tell  a  lie  to  a 
person  who  asks  you  about  things  that  he  should 
not  know,  or  about  something  that  is  not  his  busi- 
ness to  know." 

' '  What  better  treatment  can  you  give  a  man  with 
such  a  nose,  than  to  grease  it  with  the  oil  of  de- 
ception? The  more  lies  you  can  tell  such  a  man 
the  quicker  he  will  awake  and  see  that  he  is  a  fool. 
About  the  worst  thing  you  can  give  to  a  nosy  man 
is  your  valuable  time.  If  you  wish  to  tell  such 
men  everything  they  want  to  know,  you  can  let 
your  business  drop  and  take  care  of  such  fellows 
the  rest  of  your  days.  A  good  lie  fitly  spoken  is 
like  a  cool  breeze  on  a  hot  day.  If  you  become  ex- 
pert in  the  use  of  lies  you  can  deliver  them  evenly 
balanced.    A  lie  will  help  you  out  of  many  a  tight 


(5) 


^0  VIEWS  OF  SAT  AX  ON  LYING. 

place  and  will  put  happiness  right  in  your  path- 
way many  a  time  when  otherwise  you  would  find 
thorns  to  prick  you." 

' '  There  are  many  other  instances  in  which  a  lie 
is  justifiable  but  I  must  leave  all  this  to  your  own 
good  judgment.  I  will  give  you  a  safe  rule  which 
you  can  follow:  'Whenever  you  feel  like  telling 
a  lie  and  your  conscience  does  not  smite  you,  then 
you  can  feel  sure  that  a  lie  is  in  place  and  you  need 
not  hesitate  to  tell  it.  If  you  should  get  into 
trouble  sometime  by  telling  a  falsehood,  you  must 
not  be  too  quick  to  blame  all  your  trouble  on  the 
falsehood.  You  must  remember  that  if  you  had 
not  told  the  lie,  that  you  might  have  gotten  into 
greater  trouble.  That  is  the  real  oil  of  comfort 
vvhich  you  must  pour  upon  your  wounded  heart, 
when  you  are  sorrowing  over  the  lies  which  you 
have  told.'  " 

**I  wish  you  abundant  success  in  life,  and  do  not 
forget  that  by  telling  the  truth  at  the  right  time 
and  a  lie  at  the  right  time,  that  you  will  learn  the 
real  secret  of  a  successful  career,  either  in  the  pro- 
fessions, in  business,  or  in  any  one  of  the  other 
avenues  of  life." 


VIEWS  OF  SATAN  ON  LYING.  71 


**  Satan  is  true  to  himself  in  trying  to  teach  that 
it  is  right  to  tell  a  lie.  You  would  hardly  expect 
him  to  express  himself  differently  when  he  has 
been  in  this  business  ever  since  he  fell  from  Heav- 
en. He  lied  to  Eve  in  the  garden  of  Eden ;  to  Cain 
who  slew  his  brother;  and  to  the  long  line  of  pa- 
triarchs and  prophets.  He  has  become  so  pro- 
ficient in  this  kind  of  business  that  he  is  called  the 
'Father  of  Liars.'  In  the  preceding  remarks  the 
Devil  says  that,  'It  is  not  the  lying  that  hurts  a 
person  but  only  when  the  lie  is  found  out. '  What 
can  be  more  false  than  such  a  statement?  When  a 
person  wilfully  tells  a  lie,  even  though  the  lie  may 
never  be  found  out,  its  horrible  scar  is  left  upon 
the  soul  and  will  work  injury  sometime  or  some- 
where, somewhat  after  the  manner  that  poison  in 
the  blood  will  come  to  the  surface  in  one  way  or 
another. ' ' 

* '  Satan  also  teaches  that  a  person  who  tells  the 
truth  all  the  time  will  be  in  trouble  over  half  the 
time.  But  he  forgets  to  say  that  if  a  person  should 
get  into  trouble  by  telling  the  truth,  that  he  has  a 
clear  conscience  and  is  not  afraid  to  face  anybody. 
Indeed  the  very  opposite  of  what  he  teaches  is  true. 
A  person  tvho  tells  a  lie  a  part  of  the  time  is  in 


72  VIEWS  OF  SATAN  ON  LYING. 

trouble  all  the  time.  It  will  not  be  long  until  good 
people  will  loose  respect  for  him,  and  also  his  own 
heart  will  be  filled  with  a  meanness  that  will  black- 
en all  the  blessings  of  life." 

''There  may  be  certain  extreme  cases,  such  as 
the  one  concerning  the  dead  husband  to  which  Sa- 
tan makes  reference,  where  misrepresentation  may 
be  an  act  of  mercy.  But  always  in  such  cases  tho 
misrepresentation  is  just  for  a  moment,  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  the  real  truth.  A  person  is  in  a  tight 
strait  for  an  argument  when  he  must  use  such  a 
circumstance  to  try  to  prove  that  lying  is  justifi- 
able." 

' '  The  other  instances  cited  by  Satan  are  all  born 
of  Hell,  and  the  man  who  will  permit  his  conscience 
to  be  turned  to  the  channel  of  lying  with  a  good 
object  in  view,  will  finally  become  so  steeped  in  his 
inward  iniquity  that  he  can  commit  grosser 
crimes  without  impunity.  The  Bible  is  clear  on 
the  subject  of  lying.  It  is  there  expressly  forbid- 
den and  even  if  you  should  be  called  upon  to  suffer 
pain  for  truth's  sake,  you  can  feel  assured  that  in 
the  end  your  triumph  will  be  the  more  glorious. 
Words  uttered  in  truth  are  fitly  spoken,  and  are 
like  '  Apples  of  gold  in  pitchers  of  silver. '  ' ' 


wmmamtimmmmiit^t0^mmm^mM0m0im^tmsatamamm0m0'mm 


I 


by  ^atan 


t0  pprfiuatif  l^tXiT^U 
(6rf  at  Snhttatuin 


A  certain  rich  man  lived  in  a  magnificent  man- 
sion on  a  hill  near  a  great  city.  He  had  power  to 
work  all  manner  of  miracles  and  to  fulfill  any  of 
his  purposes.  With  a  kind  heart  he  prepared  a 
great  supper  and  sent  special  messengers  into  all 
parts  of  the  city  to  invite  the  poor,  the  crippled, 
the  blind  and  anyone  else  who  could  be  persuaded 
to  come.  In  obedience  to  the  order,  one  of  the  mes- 
sengers went  toward  the  city,  and  as  he  came  nigh 
to  it,  he  met  a  beggar  who  had  no  home,  and  seem- 
ingly no  friends. 

''I  have  good  news  to  tell  you,"  said  the  mes- 
senger. 

"It  will  be  the  first  good  news  I  have  heard  in 
many  a  day,  say  on, ' '  replied  the  beggar. 

"I  have  come  to  tell  you  that  you  are  invited  to 
a  great  supper,  at  the  rich  man's  house  on  the 
hill." 

"You're  only  fooling  me,"  returned  the  beggar 
with  a  look  of  interest  in  his  eye. 


"He  met  a  beoqab  who  had  no  home,  and  seemingly  no 

FBIENDS." 


THE  GREAT  INVITATION.  75 

*'I  am  telling  you  nothing  but  the  truth.  I  was 
sent  out  for  the  special  purpose  of  inviting  such 
as  you  are. 

** There  is  something  out  of  gear.  You  don't 
'spose  that  such  a  critter  as  I  am  would  be  wanted 
in  a  king's  palace." 

''Surely  I  am  not  mistaken.  If  you  are  willing 
to  go,  you  may  enjoy  the  feast,  and  in  addition  re- 
ceive many  blessings  from  the  rich  man." 

"How  could  I  have  the  face  to  go?  Don't  you 
know  that  I  have  a  black  name,  and  have  commit- 
ted all  manner  of  sins.  I  might  as  well  say  that  I 
am  living  in  the  lowest  comer  of  society,  and  am 
nothing  but  scum,  with  rags  on  the  edge  of  it.  You 
can't  expect  me  to  go." 

The  messenger  then  offered  one  persuasion  after 
another  but  all  were  of  no  avail. 

Note:  This  beggar  is  a  type  of  the  sinner  who 
thinks  he  is  too  wicked  to  go  to  Christ.  Satan  and 
many  of  his  human  agents  make  him  believe  that 
there  is  no  hope  for  a  great  sinner  like  he  is. 

Another  messenger,  with  staff  in  hand,  walked 
down  an  alley  and  rapped  at  the  door  of  a  very 
humble  cottage.  He  was  admitted  by  the  inmate, 
a  poor  widow,  who  had  struggled  against  the  hard 
turns  of  fate  for  many  a  year.  She  had  arisen 
from  her  grinding,  to  greet  the  messenger. 


The  messenger  invited  the  poor  widow  to  the  great  supper  in 
THE  King's  palace. 


THE  GREAT  INVITATION.  77 

**I  have  joyful  news  to  relate.  You  are  invited 
to  the  king's  palace  on  the  hill,  to  partake  of  a 
great  supper,  which  is  now  prepared." 

''My  friend,  you  have  stopped  at  the  wrong 
door,  or  perhaps  you  are  looking  for  another  per- 
son who  bears  my  name. ' ' 

''Surely  I  am  not  mistaken,"  insisted  the  mes- 
senger. "You  are  included  amongst  the  number 
to  whom  I  was  sent  with  the  invitation." 

' '  Can  you  not  see, ' '  still  further  replied  the  wid- 
ow, "that  I  live  in  a  broken-down  house,  and  this, 
my  best  apparel,  would  not  be  acceptable  in  the 
eyes  of  a  king.  I  should  feel  very  much  out  of 
place  if  I  would  even  try  to  accept  the  invitation. ' ' 

Then  did  the  messenger  inform  the  poor  widow 
that  tHe  king  wished  her  to  come  just  as  she  was, 
and  that  she  would  receive  not  only  good  things 
from  the  table,  but  beautiful  raiment,  and  a  clean 
heart. 

The  widow  was  moved  to  tears  by  this  large  of- 
fer. She  spoke  deep  words  of  appreciation  as  she 
thought  of  her  unworthiness  of  so  great  an  honor. 
After  a  brief  pause  she  encouraged  the  messenger 
by  her  acceptance  of  his  invitation. 

' '  I  have  decided  to  go,  and  you  may  look  for  me 
before  the  day  is  ended." 

The  messenger  departed  with  a  glad  heart,  after 


"Don't  you  go/'  said  some  of  the  neighbors.    "You  will  oia.T 

MAKE  A  fool  OF  YOUBSELF. 


THE  GREAT  INVITATION.  79 

which  the  widow  hurried  to  tell  her  neighbors  of 
the  great  honor  bestowed  upon  her,  and  of  her  in- 
tention to  accept  it. 

Some  of  her  friends  rejoiced  and  urged  her  to 
go,  while  others  made  light  of  the  whole  affair, 
telling  her  that  no  one  but  a  fool  would  think  of 
doing  what  she  was  contemplating.  Then  she  re- 
turned to  her  home  with  a  sad  heart  and  sat 
brooding  over  the  discouraging  words  of  her 
neighbors.  In  this  maimer  she  passed  the  hours 
and  missed  the  great  supper. 

Note:  .This  woman  is  a  type  of  those  sinners 
who  are  willing  to  accept  salvation,  but  who  are 
discouraged  by  companions  and  friends. 

Another  messenger,  who  was  traveling  through 
the  city,  met  a  wicked  young  man,  and  told  him 
that  he  was  invited  to  a  feast  at  the  rich  man's 
house  on  the  hill. 

**What  care  I  for  a  feast,"  said  the  young  man. 
"So  far  in  life  I  have  had  all  I  wish.  If  I  were  in 
need,  I  might  accept  this  invitation,  but  indeed  I 
have  as  good  a  feast  as  I  want." 

"Don't  talk  so  foolhardy,"  said  the  messenger. 
"Your  present  feast  is  composed  of  poisonous 
foods,  while  that  to  which  I  invite  you  is  life-giv- 
ing and  soul-healing." 

"You  may  mean  it  all  well,  but  I  prefer  the  bill- 


'The  young  man  hauohth-y  tossed  his  h«ad  and  passid  oh." 


THE  GREAT  INVITATION.  gl 

of -fare  down  here  in  the  city,  above  that  which  can 
be  found  on  the  hill."  So  saying,  the  young  man 
haughtily  tossed  his  head  and  passed  on. 

Note:  This  young  man  is  a  type  of  the  sinner 
who  thinks  he  is  having  a  better  time  in  ungodli- 
ness than  he  could  have  by  walking  in  the  ways 
of  truth. 

One  of  the  other  messengers  stopped  at  the 
home  of  a  cripple,  and  upon  entering,  he  informed 
the  unfortunate  man  that  he  was  invited  to  a 
splendid  feast  at  the  rich  man's  house  on  the  hill. 

' '  I  know  whom  you  mean, ' '  said  the  cripple.  ' '  I 
had  often  hoped  that  I  might  some  day  stand  in 
the  palace  of  the  king,  but  by  reason  of  my  aflSic- 
tion  I  can  never  expect  to  travel  so  far." 

*'Is  it  your  wish  to  go?"  earnestly  inquired  the 
messenger. 

''It  is  my  whole  heart's  wish,"  replied  the 
cripple. 

''Then  you  shall  reach  the  king's  palace,"  as- 
sured the  messenger. 

"How  can  it  be  true  that  the  rich  man  desires 
me  to  come  as  helpless  as  I  am?"  quickly  asked 
the  cripple. 

"There  is  no  mistake  about  it." 

"But  how  can  I  reach  the  palace  on  the  hill?" 

"I  will  now  give  you  all  needed  assistance." 


82  THE  GREAT  INVITATION. 

At  this  the  cripple's  eye  brightened,  and  after 
giving  a  second  consent,  the  strong  arms  of  the 
good  messenger  were  employed  in  assisting  the 
weak  cripple  through  the  streets  of  the  city,  and 
up  toward  the  beautiful  mansion.  As  they  were 
passing  through  the  gate  towards  the  door  of  the 
palace,  the  rich  man  saw  the  cripple  and  hastened 
to  greet  him.  At  the  foot  of  the  beautiful  steps  took 
place  the  royal  welcome,  and  a  wonderful  change 
in  the  cripple.  He  was  made  whole  in  an  instant 
and  he  leaped  joyously  around  the  rich  man's  pal- 
ace. Furthermore  he  was  clothed  with  new  gar- 
ments, and  with  a  most  happy  heart,  he  entered 
and  partook  of  the  feast. 

Note:  This  cripple  is  a  type  of  the  sinner  in 
bondage  who  joyfully  receives  the  tidings  of  sal- 
vation, and  gladly  accepts  the  assistance  that  is 
offered  by  God's  people. 

The  messengers  went  to  all  parts  of  the  city  and 
extended  the  invitation  to  everyone,  although  very 
few  accepted.  Each  person  who  rejected  gave  one 
excuse  or  another.  Others  were  so  busily  engaged 
with  the  pressing  cares  of  life,  that  they  gave  no 
heed  to  the  blessed  invitation.  But  after  they,  who 
had  accepted  the  invitation,  had  reached  the  king's 
palace,  they  had  a  most  glorious  time. 

The  King  of  Heaven  extends  an  invitation  to 


THE  GREAT  INVITATION.  33 

all  people  in  the  world  to-day,  inviting  them  to  the 
gospel  feast,  which  is  richly  supplied  with  the 
bread  of  life  and  the  fruits  of  salvation.  How  have 
you  acted  toward  this  blessed  invitation! 


The  rich  man's  house  on  the  hill 
beautifully  represents  the  Heavenly- 
Father's  house.  No  matter  how  ter- 
ribly one  is  crippled  with  sin  or 
groaning  under  the  yoke  of  Satan,  if 
such  a  one  will  go  to  the  Heavenly 
Father  he  will  be  cured  of  all  his 
spiritual  ailments  and  relieved  of  the 
galling  yoke.  And  moreover  he  will 
be  clothed  with  the  beautiful  gar- 
ments of  salvation.  The  one  who 
helps  a  single  soul  to  such  a  happy 
state  will  be  blessed  with  joy  un- 
speakable, and  shall  finally  share  in 
all  the  glories  of  the  Heavenly  man- 
sions. 


M 


The  missionary  led  the  cripple  to  the  steps  of  the  palace 
where  he  was  made  whole^  axd  afterward  clothed  with 

NEW    GAR:\rEXTS. 


-j«€*^- 


jv^go^y 


Satan,   in  artful  disguise,   is   evek   levding   a   host  ox   the 

MONOTONOUS    ROI'NDS    OF    SIN.       He    SINCS    IX    HIS    DECEPTIVE 

song   that   they   who  follow    him    will   find  the 
Living  Spkixg.  but  the  hoxes  aloxg  the  way  tell 

MOKE   truly   what   THEIR    EXD    WILL    I5E. 


I 


^mn&  f 


ntnttn 


As  I  looked  out  over  the  great  highway  of  hu- 
man life,  I  beheld  an  immense  concourse  of  people 
who  were  passing  along  a  smooth  broadway,  guid- 
ed by  one  who  appeared  to  be  a  rcfyal  leader,  but 
who  in  reality  was  Satan  himself.  The  famous 
leader  wa^  so  artfully  disguised  that  very  few  per- 
sons were  able  to  detect  his  real  nature.  As  Satan 
moved  on  at  the  head  of  this  vast  procession,  he 
kept  time  with  his  musical  instrument  as  he  sang 
the  following  song: 

"Come  join  our  ranks  as  on  we  go, 
To  seek  the  living  spring ; 
Where  naught  but  healing  waters  flow, 
Come,  join  our  ranks  and  sing.'* 

*  *  'Twill  not  be  long  ere  you  shall  see 
The  fountain  bubbling  bright; 
And  he  who  quaffs  its  waters  free, 
Will  revel  in  delight. '  * 


(6) 


88  SATAN'S  MUSICAL  SERMON. 

On  either  side  of  the  wide  path  that  ran  in  the 
form  of  a  great  circle,  could  be  seen  the  bones  and 
skulls  of  the  millions  who  had  already  fallen  from 
the  ranks  and  perished  by  the  wayside.  This  aw- 
ful picture  had  but  little  effect  upon  the  singers 
who  ever  continued  in  their  monotonous  rounds 
like  willing  slaves,  or  like  sheep  being  led  uncon- 
sciously to  the  slaughter. 

It  was  nothing  uncommon  to  hear  a  person  call- 
ing from  the  wayside :  *  ^  I  thirst,  where  can  I  find 
the  water  of  lifel"  And  then  to  hear  some  one 
reply : 

' '  Come  with  us  for  we  are  also  seeking  and  hope 
to  find  the  spring  that  will  quench  our  thirst. ' '  In 
all  probability  the  anxious  creature  would  join 
the  company  in  full  hope  of  finding  the  spring. 
Each  one  of  the  large  company  had  gone  through 
the  same  experience  as  this  earnest  inquirer,  and 
they  are  now  all  moving  onward,  blind  leaders  of 
the  blind. 

By  way  of  truth  it  must  be  said  that  now  and 
then  some  of  these  pilgrims  lend  a  listening  ear  to 
the  voices  of  love  that  are  ever  calling  to  those  who 
travel  in  the  monotonous  rounds  of  sin,  and  by 
thus  heeding  the  voice  of  warning  they  run  to  the 
shining  path  ''That  shineth  more  and  more  unto 
the  perfect  day,"   and  where  one   can  partake 


SATAN'S  MUSICAL  SERMON.  gg 

of  the  water  of  life  as  often  and  as  freely  as  he 
wishes. 

Those  who  follow  Satan  in  this  monotonous 
round  are  not  only  from  the  low  walks  of  life,  but 
you  will  find  men  and  women  of  refinement  and 
who  possibly  bear  a  good  name  in  the  community 
in  which  they  live.  Some  of  these  followers  are 
men  of  wealth  and  social  influence;  others  are 
from  the  slum  level  of  society,  and  still  others  are 
from  the  great  host  of  the  middle  class  of  people. 
Here  their  elbows  jostle  one  against  another  in  the 
same  giddy  rounds  of  sin,  each  one  ever  trying  to 
satisfy  his  thirst,  and  yet  with  each  repeated  round 
he  finds  his  thirst  more  craving  than  before. 

Here  we  see  a  picture  of  social  inequality  in 
natural  life  and  of  common  equality  in  the  service 
of  Satan.  They  all  meet  the  demands  of  the  same 
leader,  and  are  bound  together  by  the  same  ties  of 
infernal  kinship. 

What  power  can  break  the  charm  that  Satan 
thus  holds  over  these  followers?  The  deceived 
hosts  are  walking  as  if  in  their  sleep,  and  the  large 
majority  of  them  do  not  fully  realize  their  con- 
dition until  the  roar  of  the  great  Niagara  of  death 
reaches  their  ears.  Then  some  struggle  in  terror 
to  escape  the  inevitable,  but  when  i)ersons  are  so 
near  to  the  falls,  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  rescue 
them. 


90  SATAN'S  MUSICAL  SERMON. 

By  a  little  reflection  one  can  easily  see  the  empti- 
ness of  sin.  The  man  who  steps  to  the  music  of 
the  Devil  is  indeed  walking  on  the  old,  old  path  of 
sin  all  the  time.  He  imagines  that  he  is  seeing  the 
most  up-to-date  things  as  he  walks  after  this  decep- 
tive leader.  But  let  it  be  known  that  sin  has  noth- 
ing new  to  offer  to  its  followers.  It  presents  the 
same  old  sins  that  have  been  used  by  Satan  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world.  Talk  about  a  theatre 
giving  the  same  show  for  several  hundred  nights 
in  one  city,  that  is  nothing  compared  to  the  pro- 
gram that  the  Devil  offers  to  many  a  man,  which 
is  virtually  the  same,  for  over  two  score  years. 
The  only  thing  that  appears  new  is  the  dress  in 
which  the  sins  are  masked.  The  naked  sin  itself, 
if  it  could  be  photographed,  would  look  alike  in 
every  century  of  human  progress. 

By  the  use  of  music,  deception,  masks,  tempta- 
tions, lies,  intimidation,  the  Devil  expects  to  carry 
on  his  campaign  of  continuing  his  foolish,  yet  ter- 
rible march  on  the  highway  of  sinful  circles.  No 
doubt  there  will  always  be  some,  and  altogether  too 
many,  who  will  follow  him,  but  let  those  whose 
eyes  are  open  to  see  the  folly  of  the  whole  situation 
step  from  the  sickening  ranks,  and  take  a  firm  foot- 
hold on  the  path  of  peace  and  righteousness,  where 
the  truest  kind  of  progress  can  be  made. 


■J^^^^mH/  * '  There  is  certainly  a  wrong 
opinion  prevailing  among  some 
people  regarding  the  early  train- 
ing of  a  child.  Even  though  the 
world  is  several  thousand  years  old,  yet  people  will 
not  lear;i  by  the  follies  of  the  past.  A  child  is  the 
greatest  bundle  of  possibilities  in  the  world,  and 
we  cannot  expect  the  best  results  to  follow  if  the 
mind  of  the  child  is  spoilt  during  the  first  seven 
years  of  its  existence." 

''If  you  notice  the  policy  which  is  pursued  by 
some  parents  and  guardians,  you  would  infer  that 
the  child  must  be  filled  with  all  kinds  of  moral  lec- 
tures and  religious  nonsense,  until  he  groans  under 
the  terrible  weight.  To  compel  a  child  against  it 
will  to  go  to  Sunday  School  or  church  before  it  is 
seven  years  old,  is  about  the  best  way  to  ruin  its 
mind  for  life. ' ' 

''One  of  the  first  requisites  of  a  good  mental 
training  is  to  teach  self-dependence,  and,  as  quick- 
ly as  possible,  get  the  individual  to  see  things  for 


02  SATAN  ON  CHILD  TRAINING. 

himself.  If  it  be  your  fond  desire  to  have  the  child 
go  to  religious  services,  let  the  influence  of  a  good 
example  draw  him,  and  not  the  severity  of  the  rod 
or  the  sharp  lectures  from  the  lips." 

''Allow  a  child  to  enjoy  its  natural  liberty  so 
that  its  expansion  may  be  full  and  free.  There  is 
plenty  of  time  for  the  weightier  things,  if  the 
child 's  life  is  spared.  The  first  seven  years  should 
be  free  from  toil  and  restraint  of  any  kind,  except 
what  the  child  may  choose.  In  this  manner  the 
child  will  soon  regard  work  as  a  pleasure.  Think 
of  the  terrible  effect  it  must  have  on  a  child's 
mind  to  put  it  into  early  slavery  under  a  rod  of 
fear.  In  this  manner  it  is  taught  that  life  is  a  bur- 
den and  that  liberty,if  it  is  to  be  enjoyed,  must  be 
a  stolen  pleasure." 

''It  would  be  better  to  keep  a  child  out  of  Sun- 
day School  until  he  is  seven  years  of  age,  and  then 
allow  him  to  go  if  he  chooses.  Constantly  tell  him, 
by  your  actions  and  your  words,  that  religion  is 
not  intended  to  give  a  man  greater  liberty  than  he 
would  otherwise  enjoy,  but  on  the  contrary  it  often 
tends  to  narrow  a  man  down  to  a  set  of  hard  rules. 
If  religion  were  properly  taught,  it  would  have  a 
wholesome  effect  upon  the  human  race,  but  taught 
as  it  is  in  many  places,  it  throws  a  dark  gloom  over 
what  ought  to  be  the  brightest  walks  of  life." 


SATAN  ON  CHILD  TEAINING.  93 

*' Regarding  the  home  instruction,  a  parent 
ought  to  be  especially  careful  to  impress  upon  the 
mind  of  a  child  nothing  concerning  the  unseen 
world.  Take  the  first  seven  years  to  teach  a  child 
concerning  the  things  which  he  can  see,  hear  and 
touch.  Let  him  become  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  world  of  sense  and  sight  before  you  at- 
tempt to  launch  him  into  that  mystical  realm  of  the 
unseen.  You  must  not  attempt  too  much  during 
one  period  of  life.  Attend  to  one  thing  well  and 
see  to  it  that  genuine  development  is  reached.  If 
this  advice  is  adopted  you  will  find,  at  the  end  of 
seven  years,  a  child  with  a  fine  body,  healthy  in 
all  of  its  parts  which  will  be  a  mighty  foundation 
upon  which  a  wise  instructor  can  nobly  build." 

''The  great  majority  of  people  in  this  age  of  the 
world  are  determined  to  follow  in  the  rut,  and  be- 
cause their  predecessors  practiced  the  cramming 
method  in  the  education  of  children,  so  they  im- 
agine that  they  must  do  likewise.  What  the  world 
needs  at  this  time  is  a  number  of  reformers  who 
will  have  the  boldness  and  courage  to  teach  the 
benefits  of  the  method  I  have  just  advanced.  Then, 
under  the  new  teaching,  the  body  will  not  be  sacri- 
ficed for  the  sake  of  the  mind,  but  the  mind  will  be- 
gin to  expand  in  the  proper  realm  at  the  proper 
time.     Then  we  shall  see  the  beginning  of  the 


{)4  SATAN  ON  CHILD  tRAINlN<^. 

brightest  era  since  the  creation  of  the  world. 
Until  then  let  each  one  strive  to  fulfill  the  law  as 
here  advanced,  and  the  great  reward  is  sure  to 
come. 

German  on  (Sraimng  QUjllhrrn 

If  the  Devil  would  tell  the  truth,  he  would  teach 
much  differently  on  this  subject  than  he  has  ex- 
pressed in  this  preceding  sermon.  Satan  knows 
that  the  first  seven  years  of  a  child's  life  is  very 
important  in  the  shaping  of  its  character.  He  also 
knows  that  if  a  child  is  not  placed  under  control 
during  this  first  period,  that  it  will  be  almost  im- 
possible to  control  it  afterward. 

The  teaching  of  Satan  regarding  the  develop- 
ment of  the  body  to  the  exclusion  of  the  spiritual 
training  during  the  first  years  of  a  child's  life,  is 
senseless  and  not  worthy  of  attention.  We  believe 
that  the  body  should  be  developed  without  impair- 
ing the  mental  faculties,  and  also  that  the  soul 
should  have  a  healthy  growth  without  interfering 
with  the  natural  body.  There  is  no  better  time  in 
life  to  leave  deep  impressions  on  a  child's  mind, 
than  during  the  first  part  of  its  existence.  Then 
you  can  teach  it  concerning  the  existence  of  a  su- 
preme being,  and  of  the  immortal  life. 


SaTAN  on  child  tRAlNlNO.  ^5 

No  child  should  be  allowed  to  do  as  it  pleases 
unless  it  pleases  to  do  right.  A  boy  or  girl  must 
early  learn  to  be  submissive  to  the  will  of  another. 
If  this  is  not  learned  its  life  will  be  more  danger- 
ous than  a  ship  without  an  anchor  on  a  stormy  sea. 
Satan  knows  very  well  that  if  a  child  is  not  sub- 
missive to  its  parents,  or  to  the  true  God,  that  he 
himself  will  gain  control  over  its  life. 

Satan  uses  some  beautiful  expressions  to  show 
the  outcome  of  his  teachings,  if  they  were  ob- 
served. All  this  promise  of  a  happy  end  is  a  wick- 
ed phantom,  and  is  as  untrue  as  Satan  himself.  He 
borrowed  a  picture  of  the  Millenial  Dawn  and  used 
it  totally  out  of  its  connection. 

The  most  distressing  feature  of  the  situation  is 
this :  there  are  many  people  who  follow  the  teach- 
ings of  Satan  in  full  or  in  part.  We  hope  that  they 
will  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  enemy  and  give  their 
children  the  training  that  will  bring  the  highest 
possible  results. 


[ 


^ntm ""  ^^"'"'" 


2^al  ^  ^  ^ 


A  short  sermon  addressed  to  church-members, 
who  are  determined  to  travel  the  path  of  the  just 
that  shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day. 

^' Since  you  have  surrendered  yourself  to  God 
you  have  reached  the  highest  possible  condition  of 
the  spiritual  life.  What  a  pleasure  it  must  be  for 
you  to  stand  on  the  mountain  top  where  you  can 
catch  the  Heavenly  gales.  Now  you  can  enjoy  the 
happy  experience  of  being  perfect,  in  which  state 
you  will  have  nothing  more  to  strive  after.  Your 
main  duty  hereafter  will  be  to  see  that  decency  and 
order  prevail  in  the  church.  Do  not  allow  your- 
self to  be  ruled  by  some  dyspeptic  preacher,  who 
may  urge  you  to  continue  struggling  toward  high- 
er ground,  fighting  unreal  foes  until  you  breathe 
your  last  breath.  Why  not  be  satisfied  with  your 
glorious  attainments,  and  take  a  rest?  That  is 
what  God  wishes  for  you  in  the  lovely  passage: 
'There  remaineth  therefore  a  rest  to  the  people  of 
God.'    If  you  were  a  creature  of  the  world,  then 


SATAN  ON  CHRISTIAN  ZEAL.  ^7 

you  should  not  rest,  but  keep  on  struggling  until 
you  surrender  to  God.  If  you  are  a  good  Chris- 
tian, you  need  not  be  afraid  of  temptations  or  any- 
thing of  that  kind.  Suppose  you  should  happen 
to  yield  to  sin  for  a  season,  it  could  not  have  any 
bad  effect  upon  you  for  God  will  keep  you  pure. 
Always  remember  that  the  Lord  keeps  his  chil- 
dren in  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  and  that  nothing 
can  harm  them  there. ' ' 

*'You  may  sin  whenever  you  aim  to  do  right 
through  it.  Your  intentions  will  save  you  much 
more  surely  than  your  deeds.  'For  as  a  man 
thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is  he. '  What  has  the  out- 
ward deeds  to  do  with  a  man's  destiny,  so  long  as 
he  believes  right  in  his  heart!" 

''You  can  see  this  truth  demonstrated  in  the 
lives  of  all  the  great  men  of  the  Bible.  If  God  had 
judged  Daniel,  Solomon  and  Peter  by  their  out- 
ward deeds,  not  one  of  them  would  have  reached 
Heaven.  God,  in  his  mercy,  looked  upon  their 
hearts,  and  so  they  were  enabled  to  stand  in  their 
evil  day." 

"Your  greatest  battle  must  be  fought  with  those 
who  misjudge  you.  Perhaps  it  may  be  a  preacher 
or  a  Christian  who  makes  a  loud  profession,  and 
who  is  far  beneath  you  in  purity  of  character. 
^Let  none  of  these  things  move  you.'     Be  like 


^8  SATAN  ON  CHRISTIAN  ZEAL. 

Paul;— stand  firm  on  the  rock,  no  matter  who  as- 
saults you.  'Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men 
that  they  may  see  your  good  works  and  glorify 
your  father  which  is  in  Heaven. '  In  time  you  will 
outlive  the  envy  of  your  contemporaries,  and  the 
censure  of  your  foes." 


Jj    (tammtntB  an  tijp  J^nrpgning  ^trman    )Jj ! 


One  would  hardly  believe  that  any  professing 
Christian  would  give  heed  to  such  ideas  as  Satan 
advances  in  the  foregoing  sermon.  The  Devil 
holds  more  than  a  dozen  different  views  on  one 
subject,  each  one  to  suit  a  different  class  of  char- 
acters in  life  with  which  he  may  happen  to  deal. 
Yet  there  are  thousands  of  church-members  who 
give  heed  to  his  deathly  doctrines,  and  although 
they  are  sinning  without  repentance,  they  make 
themselves  believe  that  they  have  a  clear  consci- 
ence. How  shrewdly  Satan  quotes  scripture  out  of 
its  real  connection,  and  makes  it  convey  a  very 
false  meaning.  How  easy  it  is  for  a  Christian  to 
fold  his  arms  and  do  nothing.  It  is  well  for  all 
persons  who  are  tempted  to  a  life  of  Christian  ease 
to  read  the  immortal  lines  of  the  poet : 


SATAN  ON  CHRISTIAN  ZEAL.  99 

"Must  I  be  carried  to  the  skies. 

On  flowery  beds  of  ease, 
While  others  fought  to  win  the  prize, 
And  sailed  through  bloody  seas?" 

Or  read  from  the  greatest  of  all  books: 
' '  Woe  to  them  that  are  at  ease  in  Zion. '  * 
Let  no  one  believe  that  indifference  does  not 
breed  death.  It  must  be  avoided  like  a  deadly  ser- 
pent, for  it  eateth  as  doth  a  canker.  The  motto  of 
the  Christian  ever  should  be  to  reach  higher 
ground,  and  he  should  not  be  led  to  think  that  he 
will  ever  reach  such  a  state  in  this  life,  from  which 
he  cannot  make  advancement. 


Once  upon  a  time,  Satan  addressed  an  audience 
of  worldly-minded  Christians.  He  had  prepared 
himself  with  objects  by  which  to  make  a  deeper  im- 
pression of  what  he  wished  to  teach.  In  one  hand 
he  held  a  branch  of  a  f  mit  tree,  that  had  been  part- 
ly eaten  by  worms,  but  which  contained  good  clus- 
ters of  fruit.  In  the  other  hand,  he  held  a  beauti- 
ful branch  on  which  the  mark  of  the  worm  pest 
could  not  be  seen,  but  this  branch  had  no  fruit. 

'  *  I  appear  to  you  this  day  to  teach  you  the  truth 
regarding  the  results  of  sin.  You  have  heard  it 
said  that  all  sin  is  harmful.  But  I  have  come  to 
tell  you  differently.  A  little  sin  becomes  stimu- 
lating and  works  to  a  good  end.  Look  at  this  fruit- 
bearing  branch  which  I  hold  in  my  hand.    It  has 


HAEMLESSNESS  OF  SIN.  IQI 

been  attacked  by  little  worms  until  their  marks  of 
destniction  are  plainly  visible  all  over  it.  Yet  this 
has  only  stimulated  the  life  of  the  branch,  so  that 
it  has  borne  fruit  abundantly.  The  best  fruit  in 
life  is  borne  in  sin,  therefore  I  would  urge  you  not 
to  be  afraid  of  certain  small  sins.  You  can  see 
that  the  other  branch  has  been  free  from  the  ene- 
my's blight,  and  yet  it  has  borne  nothing  but 
leaves. ' ' 

' '  This  fruitless  branch  is  a  fair  sample  of  those 
people  who  want  to  be  so  pious  and  goody  goody 
in  life.  They  make  a  beautiful  showing,  but  bear 
no  fruit.  As  you  walk  along  the  pathway  of  life, 
you  will  notice  that  the  best  results  come,  not  only 
from  pure  illumination,  but  by  the  mingling  of  the 
lower  light  with  the  higher.  It  is  a  case  of  two  op- 
posites  flashing  together  to  form  the  vital  spark. 
Only  as  the  soul  is  touched  by  sin  can  it  reach  its 
highest  level.  This  does  not  necessarily  mean  that 
sin  must  predominate.  One  must  learn  how  to  live 
and  serve  a  noble  purpose,  and  at  the  same  time 
entertain  a  little  sin  in  his  heart.  I  trust  that  you 
will  leave  this  room  to-day  with  broader  views  of 
life,  and  that  you  will  not  despise  all  sin  because 
certain  ones  have  such  a  black  color." 


102  HARMLESSJyESS  OF  SIN. 


A  %r|)Ig  to  ButmB  (Talk  on 

tl|0  ^sirmUBsmBB  of  ^n 


Since  sin  entered  into  the  world  its  nature  has 
not  changed.  Its  tendency  is  always  toward  de- 
struction and  death,  and  it  pollutes  the  soul  just 
as  the  decayed  part  of  an  apple  infects  the  whole 
of  it.  The  Bible  uses  the  strongest  language  to  de- 
scribe the  terribleness  of  sin  and  its  consequences. 
No  poet  or  prose  writer  has  ever  been  able  to  un- 
fold the  withering  effects  of  sin  which  act  upon 
the  soul  like  poison  upon  the  body. 

Satan  may  point  to  the  fruitless  branch,  and,  by 
telling  a  lie,  tiy  to  teach  that  lack  of  fruit  is  due 
to  the  healthy  condition  of  the  tree,  but  such  de- 
ception will  not  go  very  far  with  sensible  people. 
Every  person  knows  that  the  first  requisite  to 
fruit-bearing  is  a  good  condition  of  the  trunk  and 
branches  of  the  tree.  If  a  worm-eaten  branch 
bears  fruit,  the  fruit  grows  in  spite  of  the  worms 
and  not  because  of  them.  Satan  is  true  enough 
when  he  insinuates  that  the  worm  bears  the  same 
relation  to  the  tree  that  sin  does  to  the  character 
of  a  person.  Follow  out  this  fact  and  see  the 
blighting  effects  of  waste  and  ruin  on  one  tree  af- 
ter another.    Many  valuable  trees  commence  to  die 


HARMLESSNESS  OF  SIN.  103 

just  because  the  worms  are  eating  the  life  out  of 
them,  and  if  their  course  is  not  checked  certain 
death  will  come  to  the  trees.  So  in  a  similar  man- 
ner will  sin  work  its  ruin,  if  it  is  allowed  to  operate 
upon  a  single  soul.  A  small  portion  of  it  is  of  the 
same  quality  as  the  large  consignments.  It  all 
comes  from  the  same  black  bottle  of  death,  and  if 
Satan  were  truthful  he  could  unfold  a  tale  of  hor- 
rors concerning  the  effects  of  sin  that  would  shud- 
der any  human  being. 


(7) 


&  H  ^upp^r 


t" 


Sermon  delivered  to  an  inquiring  mind  that  had 
been  staggering  under  doubt  for  a  long  time.  Sa- 
tan appeared  and  addressed  his  subject  as  follows : 

*'I  am  happy  to  see  you  this  morning  so  profit- 
ably engaged  in  reading  the  Bible.  This  is  an  evi- 
dence of  your  sincerity,  and  a  proof  that  you  will 
have  a  greater  interest  in  what  I  am  about  to  utter. 
I  feel  that  it  is  my  duty  to  tell  you  some  of  the  lat- 
est truths  on  the  subject  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  If 
you  will  give  me  your  closest  attention  so  as  to 
fully  understand  me,  I  am  certain  that  you  will  re- 
ceive much  good,  for  there  is  no  doubt  about  the 
correctness  of  my  views  according  to  common 
sense  and  the  Bible.  You  need  not  expect  me  to 
give  you  the  same  old  antiquated  doctrines  that 
have  warped  the  spiritual  eyesight  of  Christian's* 
for  nineteen  hundred  years,  but  I  purpose  to  give 
you  some  truths  thoroughly  up-to-date.  Let  me 
first  tell  you  something  about  the 


THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.  105 


Ea 

f Stitf  m^  Eort.-H  Bumr    S 

''There  is  no  mystery  about  this  inasmuch  as 
Christ  cleariy  stated  his  purpose.  '  This  do  in  re- 
membrance of  me.'  Some  men  perpetuate  their 
memory  by  building  institutions  of  learning,  oth- 
ers by  endowing  hospitals  and  establishing  li- 
braries, and  still  others  by  their  illustrious  deeds 
in  peace  or  in  war.  But  Christ,  more  wise  than 
all  his  followers,  simply  commanded  that  men 
should  gajther  together  and  honor  him  by  a  simple 
and  inexpensive  service." 

''At  the  time  when  the  Lord's  Supper  was  insti- 
tuted no  one  dreamed  that  the  command  of  Christ 
referred  to  any  one  except  his  immediate  disciples. 
To  them  this  rite  was  obligatory.  It  would  be 
most  interesting  history  to  explain  how  the  custom 
of  drinking  wine  and  eating  bread  as  an  act  of  wor- 
ship was  continued  beyond  the  apostolic  age,  but 
let  us  waste  no  time  in  stumbling  over  the  rocky 
paths  of  early  church  history;  we  must  face  the 
situation  as  it  is  in  this  present  age. ' ' 

"As  you  take  a  close  observation  of  the  follow- 
ers of  Christ,  you  will  see  that  they  are  divided 
into  several  classes.  One  class  observes  this  so- 
called  ordinance  in  a  purely  formal  manner,  and 
for  no  other  reason  than  that  they  have  seen  others 


106  THE  LORD'S  SUPPER. 

observing  it  as  far  back  as  they  can  remember. 
Another  class  of  Christians,  as  they  look  at  this 
subject,  are  fully  awake  to  the  customs  of  the  ages, 
but  they  are  still  more  alive  to  the  Bible  itself. 
How  refreshing  it  is  to  find  a  Christian  who  is  able 
and  willing  to  take  a  broad  view  of  each  doctrine 
in  the  Bible!  Has  it  ever  occurred  to  your  mind 
that  the  real  truth  of  scripture  is  contrary  to  any 
service  that  has  the  appearance  of  the  so-called 
Lord's  Supper?  But  you  must  remember  that  it 
requires  a  truly  enlightened  mind  and  a  courage- 
ous heart  to  accept  and  practice  such  up-to-date 
truth." 

*  *  It  is  not  necessary  to  enter  into  a  lengthy  dis- 
cussion concerning  this  question.  Allow  me  simply 
to  say  that  Christ  spoke  to  his  disciples  only,  and 
was  making  arrangements  for  their  social  union. 
This  was  perfectly  proper  and  it  served  to  bind 
these  immediate  followers  into  one  humble  frater- 
nity. It  is  true  that  they  gathered  together  and 
ate  bread  from  one  loaf  and  drank  wine  from  one 
cup  and  otherwise  entered  into  worship  and  honor- 
ed the  memory  of  the  suffering  and  death  of  their 
Master.  All  this  was  in  strict  obedience  to  the 
spoken  command  of  their  recently  living  Lord." 

"Now  let  me  repeat  that  there  is  not  a  single 
passage  in  the  whole  Bible  that  commands  the  per- 


THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.  107 

petual  observation  of  this  ordinance.  Then  why 
should  you  linger  in  doubt  and  thus  torment  your 
mind  on  this  misunderstood  question?  Come  out 
into  the  clear  light  and  enjoy  the  greater  liberty 
which  is  promised  to  all  those  who  prefer  to  fol- 
low the  Bible  rather  than  the  whims  and  fancies 
of  its  blind  devotees." 

' '  Next  let  me  consider  the  attitude  of  Christians 
to-day  toward  this  subject.  It  may  not  be  a  sin  to 
observe  this  antiquated  custom,  but  it  is  certainly 
not  required.  Let  each  one  be  bold  enough  to  come 
out  on  the  side  of  truth,  and  although  the  great 
majority  may  be  slow  in  changing  yet  let  those 
who  are  more  enlightened  and  more  truth-loving, 
step  out  first.  Under  any  circumstances  you  must 
be  charitable  toward  those  who  insist  upon  ob- 
serving the  Lord's  Supper.  Always  remember 
that  many  have  been  so  trained  from  their  youth 
up,  and  if  they  were  to  cease  observing  this  rite 
it  would  only  make  them  feel  miserable." 

' '  I  would  also  give  you  some  advice  that  will  be 
of  good  service  to  you  as  you  come  in  contact  with 
those  who  believe  and  practice  this  doctrine.  First 
of  all  discourage  as  much  as  possible  the  exercis- 
ing of  any  emotional  spirit.  It  is  bad  enough  to 
become  enthusiastic  over  the  best  part  of  religion, 
but  it  is  much  worse  to  show  the  color  of  emotion 


108  THE  LORD'S  SUPPER. 

over  the  imaginary  features  of  the  faith.  Away 
with  all  fanaticism.  The  Lord's  Supper  will  never 
die  out  as  long  as  it  is  made  the  occasion  of  melt- 
ing hearts  into  one  spirit  of  rejoicing,  or  of  tears." 

'^If  a  church  or  people  insist  upon  a  frequent 
observance  of  this  so-called  ordinance,  use  your 
strongest  influence  to  make  it  the  most  formal  and 
dignified  of  all  the  forms  of  worship.  If  there  is 
any  place  where  a  man  or  woman  needs  a  cool 
head  it  is  in  religion.  If  he  is  not  calm  and  steady, 
he  is  liable  to  flounder  like  the  unhappy  and  un- 
fortunate fish  out  of  its  natural  element." 

*'I  will  further  advise  you  to  be  bold  in  your 
teaching  on  the  kind  of  emblems  to  be  used  in  the 
celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  Spend  your  in- 
fluence to  get  the  church  to  use  the  most  harmless 
ingredients.  Either  common  sense  or  a  liberal 
education  will  teach  that  the  emblems  of  the  Eu- 
charist can  be  changed  to  suit  the  climate  and  also 
the  custom  of  the  people.  There  is  no  necessity  of 
clinging  to  bread  and  wine,  ae  if  nothing  else  could 
be  figurative  of  Calvary's  tragic  scenes.  If  you 
were  in  China,  what  would  be  more  appropriate 
than  rice  and  water?  In  Germany  what  would  be 
more  fitting  than  pretzels  and  beerf  In  America 
crackers  and  grapes  would  be  very  suitable  em- 
blems. ' ' 


THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.  109 

After  Satan  had  finished  his  sermon,  he  left  to 
plant  his  seeds  of  error  in  some  other  heart. 


Bamt  uliiiitga  tl)at  g'atan  3Failrli  to  Mstdion  in 
tl|f  JForfgoing  ^rrmon 


1.  He  neglected  to  say  with  certainty  that  Christ 
being  the  Son  of  God,  was  the  center  of  all  author- 
ity. 

2.  He  also  placed  a  false  and  selfish  construc- 
tion on  the  words:  ''-This  do  in  remembrance  of 
me. ' ' 

3.  It  is  certain  that  the  command  to  observe  the 
Lord's  Supper  pointed  away  to  the  churches  of  all 
ages,  because  the  observance  continued  from  the 
first  apostles  to  all  Christians  at  once.  This  would 
not  have  been  probable  if  the  sacred  supper  were 
intended  only  for  the  apostles. 

Also  if  we  localize  the  command  concerning  the 
Lord's  Supper,  so  must  we  localize  the  sermon  on 
the  mount  and  the  greater  part  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. 

4.  Concerning  the  emblems ;  Satan  forgot  to  say 
that  Christ  selected  these,  and  it  is  not  left  to  the 
whims  and  fancies  of  the  people  of  any  nation  or 
any  climate  to  select  as  they  may  choose.  Satan 
well  knows  that  if  he  could  persuade  people  to 
change  tEe  emblems  at  will,  that  he  has  won  a  very 
decisive  victory  against  the  Lord's  Supper. 


t|s) 


A  mtobrm  6rrnum  by  ^atan  oh 
li;r  ^aaliaiintBa  of  HtH^iaua  ^tr- 
bitta  in  tijt  l^oin^.  SrlQirrrb  tn  a 
<Si)riatian  3atiftr  anh  ^brrlfrarb 
by  a  dmnpanii  of  lEbil  ^pitita. 


**I  have  come  to  you  on  this  occasion  to  enlight- 
en your  mind  regarding  the  custom  of  family  wor- 
ship. After  careful  consideration  of  the  subject 
I  am  firmly  convinced  that  family  worship  is  the 
most  useless  of  all  the  forms  of  religious  service. 
A  family  should  not  be  selfish  in  its  devotion,  when 
an  opportunity  is  at  hand  to  attend  public  services. 
The  practice  of  family  worship  may  have  been  all 
right  in  an  age  when  there  were  few  churches  or 
at  the  present  time  in  communities  where  people 
live  in  isolated  homes.  But,  where  churches  are 
within  reach  of  the  families  I  can  see  that  more 
harm  than  good  is  accomplished  by  holding  home 
worship  of  any  kind." 


FAMILY  WORSHIP.  HI 

''One  of  the  main  reasons  why  family  worship 
is  useless,  is  not  alone  because  of  an  abundant  sup- 
ply of  churches,  but  because  of  the  great  variety 
of  services  that  are  held  in  them  on  the  Sabbath 
day  and  throughout  the  week.  It  is  much  better  to 
be  faithful  to  some  of  these  general  meetings  of  the 
church,  than  to  sp^end  so  much  of  your  valuable 
time  in  the  home  worship  that  must  of  necessity 
become  monotonous." 

''This  is  a  sharp  age  of  competition,  and  when 
a  man.  awakes  from  his  sleep  with  fresh  energy, 
it  is  his  duty  to  go  into  the  regular  work  of  the 
day  with  all  the  push  possible.  He  owes  his  best 
working  hours  to  the  support  of  his  family,  and  to 
the  duty  which  he  must  perform  to  his  fellow 
creatures.  It  may  be  all  right  for  a  lazy  man  or  a 
man  who  has  no  work  to  do,  to  stay  at  home  in  the 
morning  and  hold  family  services  of  ten  minutes  or 
more. ' ' 

"Then  in  the  next  place,  where  is  there  any  ne- 
cessity for  family  worship?  People  are  not  bad 
because  they  don't  know  any  better.  The  family 
worship  does  not  add  anything  to  the  instruction 
imparted  in  the  church,  and  therefore  it  is  useless. 
People  are  smarter  in  these  days  than  they  were 
in  the  older  times,  consequently  they  need  not  con- 
sult headquarters  so  often.    In  the  age  of  perse- 


112  FAMILY  WORSHIP. 

cution,  it  must  be  admitted,  that  family  worship 
was  a  great  comfort,  and  it  proved  to  be  a  strong 
staff  in  the  time  when  sharp  trials  had  to  be  borlie. 
But  now,  when  people  are  more  charitable,  and 
when  liberty  of  conscience  is  established,  there  is 
no  further  need  to  maintain  the  home  worship. 
Let  each  one  do  his  praying  privately.  It  will  be 
a  great  accomplishment  if  even  that  much  is 
done. ' ' 

*' Church  members  ought  to  Imow  how  many 
children  are  influenced  against  religion  by  com- 
pelling them  to  gather  in  worship  once  or  twice  a 
day  with  a  father  and  mother  whose  home  life  has 
no  doubt  been  more  or  less  stormy.  In  many  in- 
stances the  mother  has  told  the  children  white  and 
black  lies  and  then  gets  down  to  pray  before  them, 
or  perhaps  the  father  has  been  living  somewhat 
inconsistently  and  the  children  hear  him  act  the 
part  of  a  saint  in  his  morning  or  evening  prayer. ' ' 

Then  Satan  whispered  to  his  imps  unheard  by 
the  man:  '*It  does  not  take  very  long  for  the 
children  to  see  that  religious  devotion  and  a 
crooked  life  can  be  hitched  together.  Then  when 
the  children  grow  older  they  will  perhaps  have  an 
impression  that  any  kind  of  a  life  will  do  to  be  a 
Christian. ' '  Satan  turning  again  to  the  man,  con- 
tinued : 


FAMILY  WORSHIP,  113 

*'The  average  parent  at  best  is  very  poorly- 
qualified  to  impart  religious  instruction.  This  is 
one  of  the  greatest  reasons  why  there  should  be 
no  attempt  made  to  hold  religious  services  in  the 
home,  or  to  impart  any  kind  of  scriptural  instruc- 
tion there.  All  such  work  should  be  left  to  those 
who  are  more  competent.  The  children  will  then 
get  less  instruction,  but  it  will  go  much  farther  in 
its  good  results." 

''The  best  kind  of  family  worship  is  that  in 
which  the  father  and  mother  and  the  children  show 
the  proper  kind  of  love  and  respect  for  one  an- 
other and  in  all  things,  as  much  as  possible,  follow 
the  dictates  of  a  good  conscience. ' ' 

''If  I  had  my  own  way,  I  would  break  down  all 
the  family  altars  in  the  land.  If  I  could  not  per- 
suade the  children  to  go  to  church,  I  would  not 
compel  them,  but  I  would  wait  until  they  were  old 
enough  to  see  the  benefit  of  it.  In  that  way  the 
child  would  be  religious  of  his  own  free  choice,  and 
that  would  count  for  more  good  than  for  him  to  be 
a  Christian  by  compulsion." 

This  address  was  very  much  appreciated  by  the 
company  of  imps  who  heard  it,  for  some  of  them 
were  running  short  of  ammunition.  Certain  ones 
of  the  chief  spirits  present  declared  that  the  speech 


114  FAMILY  WORSHIP. 

was  thoroughly  up-to-date,  and  that  it  would  be 
used  with  good  effect  to  pull  down  some  of  the 
family  altars. 


A  B^plg  to  ^atan 
on  K^amtlg  Morfiljtji 


It  is  easily  understood  why  Satan  is  so  strongly 
opposed  to  family  worship.  Anything  of  this 
kind,  which  is  so  pleasing  to  God,  and  so  profitable 
to  the  members  of  the  family,  is  certainly  very 
damaging  to  the  kingdom  of  Satan.  If  Satan  could 
destroy  religion  in  the  home,  he  would  then  laugh 
to  see  the  last  flickering  of  the  religious  fires  in 
the  world. 

Satan  and  his  followers  argue  that  there  is  no 
necessity  for  family  worship  on  account  of  the 
many  services  held  in  the  churches.  They  might 
as  well  argue  that  there  is  no  necessity  for  the  little 
rills  of  water  that  run  into  the  spring  inasmuch 
as  there  is  so  much  water  in  the  spring.  The 
spring  would  soon  dry  up  if  its  feeders  were  once 
closed,  so  would  the  life  of  church  services  become 
dead  and  formal  if  the  Christian  life  of  the  indi- 
vidual in  the  home  would  come  to  an  end. 

Satan  also  argues  that  a  busy  man  has  no  time  to 
hold  family  worship.  This  would  be  true  if  fam- 
ily worship  were  worthless,  but  when  we  consider 


FAMILY  WORSHIP.  115 

what  effect  it  has  on  the  members  of  the  home,  we 
can  form  a  clearer  idea  of  its  great  value.  It 
binds  the  hearts  of  the  parents  closer  together  and 
they  feel  that  God  has  a  part  in  the  rearing  of  the 
children.  Also  the  children  have  a  greater  respect 
for  the  heads  of  the  home,  and  on  their  young 
minds  are  fixed  eternal  impressions  for  good. 
The  power  and  influence  of  religious  services  in 
the  home  reach  far  beyond  the  limit  of  the  family 
circle,  which  could  be  proved  by  a  long  list  of  inci- 
dents. 

Satan  also  argues  in  the  preceding  sermon  that 
there  is'  no  necessity  for  family  worship  because 
the  church  furnishes  ample  instruction.  We  cer- 
tainly rejoice  in  the  fact  that  the  church  furnishes 
so  much  good  instruction,  and  this  is  a  splendid 
help  to  the  upbuilding  of  religious  thought  and 
character.  Any  wise  parent  should  know  how  to 
make  the  best  use  of  this  church  help.  But  the 
best  fruit  is  produced  by  personal  care,  by  a  lov- 
ing interest  on  the  part  of  the  parents  in  the  home. 
The  world  can  never  tell  the  amount  of  good  that 
has  been  accomplished  around  the  family  altar,  in 
conjunction  with  which  all  other  good  influences 
will  harmonize  into  the  perfecting  of  the  individ- 
ual life  and  character. 

We  hope  the  time  will  never  come  when  Satan's 


116  FAMILY  WORSHIP. 

ambition  will  be  realized.  We  believe  that  he 
would  rejoice  very  much  if  every  family  altar 
could  be  broken  down.  It  should  therefore  be  a 
pleasure  to  everybody  to  uphold  the  holy  influence 
of  the  home  altar,  and  thereby  do  something  for 
the  betterment  of  mankind  and  toward  the  over- 
throw of  the  kingdom  of  darkness. 


The  three  stages  of  Pbostitxtiion. 


Preached  by  Satan  to  a  Young  Lady  at  one  of  the 
By-ways  of  Life. 

A  certain  young  lady  who  was  traveling  along 
the  pathway  of  Purity,  felt  the  pulse  of  temptation 
at  a  certain  place  where  steps  of  Prostitution  led 
downward  to  one  side  of  the  path.  As  if  held  by 
some  strange  magic,  she  paused,  scanned  the  steps 
and  was  inclined  to  descend,  yet  her  better  judg- 
ment forbade  her.  Then  the  invisible  Satan  spoke 
to  her  mind  through  that  wireless  telegraphy  long 
ago  known  to  the  spirits : 

''You  have  come  to  an  important 


SATAN'S 

BLACK 

DECEPTION 


turn  in  your  experiences.  If  you  de- 
scend these  steps  you  will  taste  of 
life's  fruit  for  the  first  time.  Na- 
ture has  called  you  to  walk  downward  here,  and 
after  you  have  passed  over  these  steps  you  will 
gain  the  new  knowledge,  which  will  open  your  eyes 
to  the  broadest  views  of  life.  True  enough  the  ad- 
vice of  your  mother  and  father  forbid  you  to  pur- 


BATAN  AND  PURITY.  j^^ 

sue  such  a  course,  but  it  is  well  known  that  loving 
parents,  in  their  zeal  to  do  good,  go  to  wide  ex- 
tremes in  advising  their  children.  Your  mother 
knows  that  you  are  entitled,  by  the  grant  of  nature, 
to  the  blessed  fruit  that  can  only  be  found  on  the 
lower  level. ' ' 

The  young  lady  answered  in  her  own  soul : 
''I  cannot  go  by  the  way  of  these  steps.  The 
time  has  not  yet  arrived  for  me  to  seek  or  enjoy 
such  privileges  which  are  contr-ary  to  the  customs 
of  goad  society,  and  at  variance  with  the  laws  of 
God." 

''Nonsense!   nonsensej"  came  the 


THE 

TERRIBLE 

SERMON 

CONTINUES 


suggestion  from  Satan.  ''The  time 
to  eat  fruit  is  when  you  have  an  ap- 
petite for  it,  and  the  most  charming 
appetite  is  the  first.  Some  of  the 
wisest  of  the  world  have  improved  the  golden  op- 
portunity, and  descended  these  steps  at  your  very 
age  of  life.  Why  should  you  hesitate!  Virtue,  if 
once  lost,  can  easily  be  regained,  and  it  is  a  thou- 
sand times  better  to  experience  the  sweet  influence 
on  this  lower  level,  than  to  deny  yourself  day  by 
day  on  the  vain  assumption  that  purity  must  be 
maintained  at  any  cost. ' ' 

The  young  lady  felt  in  her  st)ul  that  this  teach- 
ing came  from  the  enemy,  then  she  passed  through 


(8) 


120  SATAN  AND  PURITY. 

a  mighty  struggle  with  both  the  flesh  and  the 
Devil.  She  was  conquering  in  the  trying  ordeal, 
and  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  Satan,  she  breathed 
her  prayer  to  God  for  deliverance.  The  heroine 
broke  away  from  the  spell  that  seemingly  bound 
her,  and  refused  to  listen  any  longer  to  the  voice 
of  temptation  that  would  have  blasted  the  flower  of 
her  purity,  and  without  mercy  send  the  cursed 
pangs  of  sin  and  regret  into  her  soul. 

As  she  passed  on,  the  comfort  of  victory  welled 
up  within  her,  and  her  joy  was  unspeakable. 


Satan  used  all  kinds  of  arguments  to  persuade  this  young 

LADY  to   descend   TO  THE    LOWER   LEVEL    OF    PROSTITUTION.    BUT 
SHE    WON    THE   VICTORY    ANT)   CONTINUED   ON    THE    PaTH    OF 

Purity. 


Satan  ix  the  forji  of  a  hobgohlin, undertook  to  fkigiiten  Miss 
Pilgrim,  who,  quick  as  a  flash,  thrtst  her  sworo  toward 

HIM.       He   escaped   injury    by    THlU)WIN(i    HIMSELF   BACK- 
WARD. 


[Mj:»JooR^iEy  or 


Ht^fm^a^^ 


Buritt^  Wc\\s\\  i$>tttan  "^t- 


A  young  lady  whose  ambitions  were  pure  pray- 
ed for  a  good  equipment  instead  of  riches.  In  an- 
swer to  her  prayer  she  received  a  splendid  outfit 
from  the  armory  of  God.  On  her  head  was  a  per- 
fect helmet  of  salvation;  her  heart  was  protected 
by  a  shining  breast-plate  of  righteousness,  and  her 
loins  were  girded  about  with  truth.  Also  her  feet 
were  shod  with  the  preparation  of  the  gospel  of 
peace,  and  in  her  left  hand  was  a  most  beautiful 
shield  of  faith,  while  in  her  right  hand  she  held  a 
two-edged  sword.  When  she  had  received  this 
powerful  outfit  for  attack  and  defence,  she  was  ex- 
horted to  pray  with  all  supplication  and  watch 
with  all  perseverance. 

How  beautiful  she  looked  as  she  walked  forth 


124  THE  JOUKNEY  OF  MISS  PILGRIM. 

upon  the  way  of  life,  ready  to  meet  any  foe  and 
even  prepared  to  conquer  in  any  strife.  But  better 
than  all,  she  was  prepared  to  enjoy  the  scenery 
along  the  way,  and  to  hold  peaceful  fellowship 
with  the  unseen  God. 

Now  behold  the  evil  one  sought  to  overcome  this 
fair  young  Pilgrim.  He  knew  that  it  would  be  of 
no  use  to  preach  infidelity  to  her,  as  she  was  thor- 
oughly informed  in  Bible  truths.  He  closely  fol- 
lowed her  for  many  a  day  ever  watching  for  some 
opportunity  whereby  he  might  win  a  victory  oyer 
her. 

As  this  young  Pilgrim  journeyed  on,  she  found 
that  the  way  was  becoming  more  and  more  delight- 
ful to  her,  for  it  is  true  that  they  who  travel  dili- 
gently on  the  good  path  enjoy  the  greatest  amount 
of  happiness.  One  day  as  she  was  making  splendid 
progress  she  came  to  a  place  where  Satan,  in  the 
form  of  a  terrible  Hobgoblin,  under- 
took to  frighten  her.  He  came  upon 
her  without  notice,  suddenly  rushing 
down  to   the   edge   of   the   path   on 


A  MEAN 

ATTACK 

BY  SATAN 


which  she  was  traveling  and  shouting  with  all 
terror : 

**  Throw  down  that  sword  and  shield  or  I  will 
tear  the  heart  out  of  you. ' ' 

Quick  as  a  flash,  the  young  pilgrim  nerved  her- 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  MISS  PILGRIM.  135 

self  for  an  attack,  and  in  swift  defence  she  raised 
her  shining  shield  and  thrust  her  sword  toward 
him  as  she  uttered  these  words : 

'*In  the  name  and  by  the  help  of  the  living  God, 
I  will  keep  my  shield,  my  sword  and  my  heart. ' ' 

Had  the  monster  not  thrown  himself  backward, 
he  would  have  suifered  sharp  pain  from  the  sword 
of  Miss  Pilgrim.  Her  boldness  totally  baflQed  him, 
inasmuch  as  he  did  not  raise  his  bludgeon  which 
he  liad  left  fall  during  her  attack.  He  well  knew 
that  he  could  wage  no  successful  battle  with  her 
as  long, as  she  remained  on  the  path  of  righteous- 
ness. So  he  changed  his  tactics  and  suddenly  made 
himself  more  beautiful,  and  with  pleasing  address 
he  tried  to  decoy  her  to  one  side,  but  she  was 
shrewd  enough  not  to  step  on  forbidden  ground. 
After  a  series  of  vile  but  futile  efforts  the  trans- 
formed Hobgoblin  gathered  himself  together  and 
disappeared. 

When  this  mean  attack  by  Satan  was  ended. 
Miss  Pilgrim  rejoiced  with  joy  unspeakable  and 
full  of  glory.  She  praised  God  for  the  strength 
with  which  she  was  blessed  to  conquer  so  com- 
pletely. Then  she  sung  some  of  the  good  songs 
of  Zion,  and  drank  anew  of  the  water  of  life,  and 
ate  a  goodly  portion  of  a  spiritual  feast  which  had 
been  provided  for  her.    After  this  she  found  that 


12g  THE  JOURNEY  OF  MISS  PILGRIM. 

her  path  led  through  a  pleasant  woodland,  where 
flowers  grew  on  either  side  of  the  way,  and  where 
sweet  birds  sang  most  charmingly.  She  testified 
to  many  of  her  friends  that  this  was  the  most  de- 
lightful spot  which  she  had  yet  reached  since  she 
put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God. 

Miss  Pilgrim  found  no  lack  of  company,  and  the 
fellowship  of  saints  was  so  enjoyable  to  her  that 
she  prayed  more  earnestly  than  ever  for  those  who 
were  deceived  so  much  that  they  imagined  the  com- 
pany of  the  Broad  Highway  to  be  more  congenial 
than  any  other. 

Now  it  happened  that  Miss  Pilgrim,  in  her  jour- 
ney entered  into  a  peculiar  country  where  temp- 
tations abound.  Although  she  knew  the  character 
of  Satan  and  his  manner  of  working,  yet  she  was 
not  aware  that  he  was  following  her  so  closely. 
The  Evil  One  noticed  a  suitable  place  ahead  to 
which  he  hastened,  so  as  to  reach  it  before  Miss 
Pilgrim.  When  she  approached  him  she  noticed 
an  angel-like  form,  but  upon  closer  inspection  she 
was  positive  that  it  was  the  enemy  in 
disguise. 

' '  Pause  a  moment, ' '  said  the  angel- 
like creature,  ''allow  me  to  ask  you 
how  much  you  will  take  for  the  hel- 


A  LITTLE 
DECEPTIVE 

SERMON 
BY  SATAN 


met  which  you  have  on  your  head?'* 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  MISS  PILGRIM.  127 

**I  will  not  part  with  it  under  any  circum- 
stances," she  answered  with  determination. 

"I  will  give  you  a  crown  of  pure  gold  in  ex- 
change, if  you  will  surrender  it,"  calmly  offered 
the  Tempter. 

*  *  Of  what  use  is  a  crown  to  me  now  ?  I  look  for 
a  crown  at  the  end  of  my  race.  This  is  the  day  of 
helmet  wearing,  because  I  cannot  tell  what  mo- 
ment some  fiery  darts  may  be  hurled  at  me." 

"Ha!  ha!"  laughted  the  Tempter,  **I  can  see 
that  you  have  been  deceived.  You  have  fought 
your  battles  well  and  it  will  hardly  happen  that 
you  Will  need  the  helmet  any  more  this  side  of 
Heaven's  gate.  On  account  of  your  faithfulness, 
I  have  been  sent  to  crown  you.  Why  should  you 
hesitate  to  accept  your  reward  which  will  be  a 
thousand  times  more  beautiful  than  the  rough  hel- 
met now  on  your  head,  and  more  than  that,  this 
crown  will  be  more  suited  to  your  grace  of  body, 
and  your  peculiar  charms. '  * 

The  young  lady  scanned  for  a  moment  the  bright 
object  in  the  hand  of  the  angel-like  creature,  and 
then  said  that  she  had  received  explicit  orders  not 
to  surrender  her  helmet  until  she  had  reached  the 
very  gate  of  Heaven.  ''Then,"  she  said,  "I  will 
lay  my  armor  down,  and  not  before  that  time.  *  * 

Then  the  enemy,  with  artful  conversation,  com- 


128  THE  JOUENEY  OF  MISS  PILGRIM. 

tinued  his  temptations,  and  the  young  pilgrim 
firmly  resisted  them  all.  After  a  short  season  had 
passed,  she  poised  her  sword  steadily  and  demand- 
ed that  she  be  disturbed  no  longer.  She  escaped 
without  a  battle,  and  went  on  her  way  rejoicing. 

After  the  lapse  of  a  few  days,  when  she  had  quite 
forgotten  her  last  temptation,  she  was  again  trav- 
eling alone  in  her  usual  manner,  when  she  met  an- 
other peculiar  object  that  looked  more  like  an  an- 
gel than  a  devil. 

'  *  Hold  on,  my  young  friend ! ' '  cried  out  a  voice, 
**I  am  so  glad  that  you  came  along  just  at  this 
time.    I  am  in  great  need  of  a  shield 


A  SERMON 
BORN 

WITH 
A  LIB 


as  I  must  travel  a  path  where  fiery 
darts  are  hurled.  If  you  will  do  me 
the  great  favor  of  loaning  your 
shield  to  me  I  will  return  it  in  good 
order  and  will  be  under  infinite  obligations  to 
you. ' ' 

This  tender,  pathetic  appeal  touched  the  heart  of 
Miss  Pilgrim  more  than  any  other  form  of  tempta- 
tion which  she  had  yet  encountered,  but  she  quick- 
ly remembered  what  had  been  said  to  her:  ''Let 
no  man  take  thy  shield,"  and  looking  toward  the 
Tempter's  face,  she  answered: 

*  *  This  shield  is  not  my  own.  I  am  forbidden  to 
part  with  it  under  a  severe  penalty." 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  MISS  PILGRIM.  129 

"Surely  no  harm  can  come  to  you,  for  your  jour- 
ney is  over  a  smooth  country  where  no  foes 
abound.  Before  you  will  need  it,  I  will  return  it 
again  into  your  hands. ' ' 

It  happened  that  the  young  soldier  thoughtless- 
ly dropped  her  shield  a  little  during  this  conversa- 
tion, and  the  Tempter  being  convinced  that  he 
could  not  persuade  her  to  surrender  it,  made  an 
ugly  attack  upon  her  with  a  handful  of  fiery  darts, 
some  of  which  flew  over  the  top  of  her  shield  and 
struck  her  helmet. 

'*Ah!"  she  quickly  cried,  "how  thankful  I  am 
that  I  did  not  give  my  helmet  for  the  crown." 
After  this  she  made  a  bold  attack  upon  the  foul  de- 
mon, who,  observing  that  his  fiery  darts  had  done 
her  no  harm,  quickly  made  good  his  escape. 

Miss  Pilgrim,  as  she  continued  on  the  King's 
Highway,  came  to  a  place  where  she  heard  strange 
music  from  some  unknown  source.  Being  a  lover 
of  music  she  paused  to  listen,  and  as  she  listened, 
she  was  quite  captured  by  the  beautiful  strains, 
and  she  found  herself  being  drawn  toward  the 
place  whence  came  such  unusual  melodies.  Miss 
Pilgrim  was  so  enraptured  that  she 
did  not  think  that  she  was  treading 
on  dangerous  ground,  nor  were  her 
suspicions  aroused  until  she  fell 
through  a  layer  of  dead  twigs  and 


A  SERMON 

IN 

MUSIC 


130  THE  JOURNEY  OF  MISS  PILGRIM. 

leaves  into  a  pit.  It  was  a  miracle  that  she  was 
not  bruised  by  her  fall.  Before  she  had  time  to 
examine  the  pit  she  was  confronted  by  a  polite  gen- 
tleman, who  seemed  to  approach  her  through  an 
underground  passage. 

' '  Happy  to  see  you. ' ' 

Miss  Pilgrim  made  no  reply.  As  yet  she  had 
no  time  to  collect  her  thoughts. 

"How  came  you  into  this  place!" 

"I  fell  into  it  by  accident,"  explained  Miss  Pil- 
grim as  her  fears  were  increasing. 

''And  shall  I  help  you  out?" 

"If  you  please,  sir." 

' '  Follow  me  and  I  will  take  you  to  a  place  where 
there  are  steps  leading  to  the  sunlight. ' ' 

Miss  Pilgrim  commenced  to  pray  for  direction 
and  seeing  no  possible  way  to  get  out  by  the  way 
she  came  in,  she  was  compelled  to  follow  her 
would-be  rescuer.  She  was  fully  conscious  of  his 
evil  designs,  and  being  caught  so  innocently,  she 
was  determined  to  make  the  best  possible  escape 
from  her  sudden  captivity. 

Mr.  Polite  conducted  Miss  Pilgrim  through  a 
winding  underground  channel  and  came  to  a  room 
dimly  lighted.  Here  he  paused  and  turning  to  her 
he  calmly  requested: 

"Lay  down  your  weapons  and  enjoy  a  rest." 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  MISS  PILGRBf.  131 

* '  That  would  be  signing  my  death-warrant,  * '  she 
answered  with  decision. 

At  this  Mr.  Polite  turned  the  key,  thereby  lock 
ing  the  only  door  to  the  room.  Miss  Pilgrim  now 
took  a  bold  stand  and  drew  her  sword. 

''My  God  is  able  to  deliver  me  from  your  foul 
hands.  I  charge  you  to  open  that  door,  or  take 
the  edge  of  this  blade." 

"Be  not  so  enraged,  my  friend,  I  closed  that 
door  only  to  keep  out  a  set  of  mean  fellows  who 
would  have  forcibly  torn  your  weapons  and  your 
honor  from  you." 

Then  quick  as  a  flash,  Mr.  Polite  opened  the  door 
and  rushed  out,  closing  and  locking  the  door  after 
him. 

Left  to  herself  Miss  Pilgrim  spent  her  time  in 
prayer.  She  was  confronted  by  an  angel  who  told 
her  to  wait  for  the  time  of  her  deliverance,  and 
meanwhile  trust  in  God.  In  a  short  time  the  keeper 
of  the  place  entered,  and  told  her  that  she  would 
be  liberally  compensated  at  the  end  of  her  period 
of  service. 

' '  My  period  of  service  is  already  at  an  end.  You 
shall  not  have  my  free  will  in  sin  a  single  mo- 
ment," firmly  and  defiantly  declared  Miss  Pil- 
grim. 

The  keeper  approached  her  in  silence  and  Miss 


132  THE  JOURNEY  OF  MISS  PILGRIM. 

Pilgrim  suspecting  his  motive,  drew  her  sword  in 
defence : 

''I  warn  you  not  to  touch  me  while  I  wield  this 
sword, ' '  cautioned  Miss  Pilgrim  with  a  firm  voice. 

The  keeper  suddenly  halted  and  being  enraged, 
he  addressed  the  brave  heroine : 

' '  How  dare  you  flaunt  a  sword  in  my  face  ? '  * 

''Only  in  the  name  of  Him  whom  I  serve.  I 
warn  you  again  to  lay  no  hand  upon  me. ' ' 

' '  Do  you  not  know,  my  young  girl,  that  your  life 
is  in  my  hands?  If  I  so  choose  I  can  put  an  end 
to  you  this  very  day. ' ' 

* '  You  speak  a  falsehood.  You  cannot  put  an  end 
to  me.  You  could  easily  tear  this  body  of  mine 
apart,  or  burn  it,  but  you  must  not  think  that  you 
could  put  an  end  to  me.  If  you  drag  me  down  to 
death  by  sheer  force,  you  will  thereby  give  me  a 
short  route  to  Heaven.  I  will  live  forever  after  my 
body  is  cold  in  death. ' ' 

"Ah,  you  are  quite  a  preacher!"  jestingly  said 
the  keeper.  "You  ought  to  be  in  the  pulpit,  not 
down  here  in  a  place  like  this." 

The  keeper  tarried  no  longer  but  hurriedly  left 
the  room  locking  the  door  after  him. 

Miss  Pilgrim  continued  in  earnest  prayer  for  de- 
liverance from  the  foul  place  where  she  was  held 
captive.    Her  prayer  was  one  of  submission,  for 


THE  JOURNEY  OP  MISS  PILGRIM.  1^3 

she  expressed  her  willingness  to  die  if  need  be 
rather  than  surrender  her  faith. 

A  short  time  thereafter  there  appeared  a  gentle- 
man of  splendid  physique  and  bearing  a  pleasant 
countenance.  After  he  had  entered  the  room  he 
addressed  Miss  Pilgrim  in  a  fascinating  manner: 

'*I  am  indeed  glad  to  meet  you,  my  friend,  I 
have  come  to  spend  a  social  hour  with  you. ' ' 

*'If  you  wish  to  hold  conversation  with  me  you 
must  wait  until  I  am  free  from  this  place.  I  am 
now  in  bondage." 

**Are  you  not  at  liberty  to  do  as  you  please?" 

*'I  am  a  slave  in  bondage.  I  have  no  control 
over  that  door  through  which  you  have  entered.  I 
will  have  nothing  to  do  with  any  man  while  I  am 
in  this  low  den.  Once  more  I  say  that  I  will  gladly 
speak  with  you  if  you  see  to  it  that  I  escape. ' ' 

The  winning  man  plied  all  his  ingenuity  to  per- 
suade the  beautiful  Miss  Pilgrim  to  a  violation  of 
her  honor,  but  she  fought  to  the  sword's  point  un- 
til the  visitor,  defeated  and  ashamed,  left  the  room. 
After  this  manner  Miss  Pilgrim  conducted  herself 
until  she  was  enabled  to  escape.  She  went  forth 
most  gladly  into  the  welcome  light  of  the  King's 
Highway,  and  keenly  remembered  the  music  that 
pulled  her  feet  from  the  proper  path.  She  cau- 
tioned herself  anew  not  to  give  heed  to  anything 


134  THE  JOURNEY  OF  MISS  PILGRIM. 

whatever  that  would  tempt  her  from  the  path  of 
life  whereon  she  was  traveling. 

The  King's  Highway  never  appeared  to  her  so 
handsome  as  now.  The  dark  shadows  of  the  den 
deepened  her  appreciation  of  the  blessed  light  that 
Heaven  was  bestowing  on  her  as  she  continued  on 
her  journey.  Her  eyes  feasted  anew  on  the  unsur- 
passed scenery,  and  her  prayers  of  gratitude  as- 
cended to  Heaven  with  more  fervor  than  ever. 

Not  long  after  this  when  Miss  Pilgrim  was  med- 
itating along  the  way,  there  was  a  dark  being  call- 
ed Fear  that  rushed  toward  her  like  a  cyclone,  and 
instantly  hurled  many  fiery  darts,  but  they  struck 
her  shield  and  fell  broken  at  her  feet.  Miss  Pil- 
grim addressed  this  creature  with  great  courage. 
Her  experience  with  the  Hobgoblin  helped  her 
greatly  to  meet  this  new  foe. 

''Away!  away!  you  fearful  creature.  Neither 
you  nor  your  darts  can  break  in  upon  me,  for  I  am 
imder  eternal  protection  as  long  as  I  retain  these 
weapons." 

The  demon  of  Fear,  finding  that  he  could  make 
no  impression  on  Miss  Pilgrim,  drew  himself  to 
one  side  and  the  heroine  sang  more  joyously  than 
ever  as  she  passed  on. 

Miss  Pilgrim  was  now  to  meet  one  of  her  hard- 
est temptations,  because  of  the  deceitful  manner  in 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  MISS  PILGRIM.  135 

which  it  came.  As  she  was  walking  along,  a  beau- 
tiful young  lady,  of  about  her  same  age,  stepped 
up  along  side  of  her  from  the  rear,  and  without 
giving  Miss  Pilgrim  time  to  observe  the  path 
whereon  she  had  traveled,  entered  into  conversa- 
tion with  her. 

''Happy  I  am  that  I  have  found  d 


A  SERMON 
OF  BLACK 
DESIGNS 


companion  so  near  my  own  age.  I 
hope  that  we  may  be  congenial  to 
each  other,  so  that  we  can  travel  this 
path  together  with  mutual  profit.'* 

''Who  are  you,  and  whence  came  youT'  asked 
Miss  Pilgrim. 

"I  am  a  friend  of  yours  from  the  same  city 
whence  you  came,  and  I  am  traveling  to  the  same 
Heaven  to  which  you  are  going,"  came  the  re- 
sponse of  the  New-Comer. 

"You  have  a  strange  outfit.  How  could  you 
have  traveled  so  far  on  this  road  without  being 
harmed?  Where  are  your  equipments!" 

"I  keep  them  all  concealed,"  came  the  reply, 
whereat  the  new  companion  revealed  a  sword  from 
the  loose  folds  of  her  garments,  ' '  See !  here  is  my 
sword.    Let  us  exchange  just  for  courtesy's  sake." 

' '  If  you  have  used  your  sword  so  well  up  to  this 
time,  and  I  have  used  mine  so  well,  it  would  be  bet- 
ter for  us  to  let  well  enough  alone. ' ' 


136  THE  Journey  of  miss  pilgrim. 

"You  might  as  well  be  sociable  and  make  the 
exchange,"  continued  the  New-Comer.  ''It  may  be 
that  each  of  us  can  do  still  better  with  a  new 
sword."  Miss  Pilgrim  was  almost  in  the  act  of 
complying  with  the  evil  request,  when  an  inward 
voice  gave  her  counsel:  ''Beware,  lest  any  man 
take  thy  sword."  The  inward  voice  troubled  her 
so  much  that  she  stoutly  refused  to  think  any  fur- 
ther of  making  the  exchange.  The  New-Comer, 
being  angry  at  the  failure  to  gain  her  point,  kept 
watching  for  a  good  chance  whereby  she  might  rob 
Miss  Pilgrim  of  her  sword. 

At  a  moment  when  Miss  Pilgrim  was  unguarded 
the  New-Comer  seized  her  in  a  foul  grasp,  and  was 
in  the  act  of  throwing  her  to  the  ground  when  she 
offered  a  stout  resistance.  Then  followed  a  brief 
wrestling  match  in  which  no  mercy  was  shown  on 
either  side.  For  a  moment  it  appeared  that  Miss 
Pilgrim  was  overpowered,  when  she  saw  an  oppor- 
tunity and  with  her  strong  right  arm  she  tore  the 
very  garments  from  the  back  of  her  assailant,  and 
to  her  horror  she  discovered  that  the  one  who 
seemed  to  be  Miss  New-Comer  was  now  revealed 
in  his  true  light  in  devilish  masculine  attire.  Miss 
Pilgrim  having  her  loins  girded  with  truth  and 
having  on  the  breastplate  of  righteousness,  felt  no 
harm  from  all  the  terrific  blows,  which  the  demon 
continued  to  deliver.    In  the  midst  of  the  hot  af- 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  MISS  PILGIClM.  137 

fray  Miss  Pilgrim  succeeded  in  striking  one  fatal 
blow  with  her  sword.  A  sudden  change  took  place, 
for  the  gasping,  writhing  form  of  her  contemptible 
foe  lay  beneath  her  begging  for  mercy. 

"You  miserable  wretch,"  cried  Miss  Pilgrim, 
"you  deceiver,  you  liar;  had  you  taken  my  sword, 
you  would  have  laid  me  low.  You  deserve  death, 
and  if  you  were  mortal  I  would  put  an  end  to  you 
at  once.  How  dare  you  defy  one  who  is  clad  in 
the  panoply  of  Almighty  God?  Taste  this  sharp 
edge  once  more,"  she  shouted  as  she  again  thrust 
the  two-edged  blade  through  him. 

A  low  groan  and  the  victory  was  complete.  Af- 
ter this  terrible  encounter  Miss  Pilgrim  continued 
her  journey  more  triumphant  than  ever.  She  soon 
overtook  a  friend  who  was  sore  depressed  on  ac- 
count of  the  many  troubles  and  persecutions 
through  which  he  had  passed.  Mr.  Depressed 
looked  upon  the  cheerful  face  of  Miss  Pilgrim  and 
inwardly  prayed  that  he  might  learn  the  secret  of 
her  happiness.  Miss  Pilgrim,  after  her  natural 
manner,  commenced  speaking  words  of  cheer  to 
her  friend,  who  received  them  with  a  kindly  spirit. 

A  conversation  ensued  in  which  Mr.  Depressed 
related  some  of  his  recent  experiences  and  then 
with  an  envious  tone  he  asked  the  following  ques- 
tion: 

"Why  is  it,  my  friend,  that  you  have  such  an 


(9) 


138  THE  JOURNlR:  OF  MISS  PILGRIM. 

easy  time  of  it?  Trouble  seems  to  vanish  at  your 
appearance,  and  it  seems  that  good  luck  is  always 
standing  around  in  your  way. ' ' 

*'I  fear  that  you  are  looking  at  me  in  a  wrong 
light,"  smilingly  replied  Miss  Pilgrim.  ''It  has 
not  been  long  since  I  passed  through  a  deadly 
struggle  and  I  have  had  many  such  experiences 
since  I  set  out  toward  the  gate  of  Heaven. ' ' 

''Then  why  is  it  that  you  are  not  cast  down?" 

"Because  I  am  obedient  to  the  orders  of  my 
king.  Under  no  circumstances  will  I  surrender 
any  part  of  my  equipment.  Thus  determined  I 
conquer  every  foe  in  the  name  of  the  living  God. 
Surely  I  have  all  reason  to  rejoice  when  victory 
is  mine." 

"Have  you  given  me  the  full  secret  of  your 
peace  and  happiness?"  further  asked  Mr.  De- 
pressed. 

' '  The  companions  I  have  also  help  me  to  be  hap- 
py and  cheerful.  I  have  the  company  of  sweet 
angels  who  minister  unto  me  day  and  night.  If 
you  could  see  them  as  they  hover  around  me  at 
times,  your  face  would  shine  with  a  new  light  and 
your  life  would  also  be  lived  in  the  charmed  cir- 
cle." 

"  'Charmed  circle,'  "  repeated  Mr.  Depressed. 
"Please  give  me  more  light  on  this." 

**  There  is  a  charmed  circle  in  life  in  which  any 


THE  JOUENEY  OF  MISS  PILGRIM.  139 

one  may  live  who  wishes.  No  matter  where  they 
go  the  charm  need  not  be  broken,  and  rich  sup- 
plies of  blessings  can  always  be  had. 

''Let  me  urge  you  to  get  into  this  circle  and 
thereby  learn  the  secret  of  a  happy  life:  If  you 
welcome  the  angels  of  mercy,  comfort,  peace,  faith, 
hope,  love  and  purity  and  a  host  of  others,  they 
will  surround  you  and  your  life  will  be  spent  in 
the  charmed  circle. ' ' 

Miss  Pilgrim  had  no  time  to  tarry  longer.  She 
hastened  away  to  fill  certain  engagements.  The  in- 
fluence of  her  few  words  upon  Mr.  Depressed  had 
a  wonderful  effect,  and  one  by  one  he  welcomed  the 
angels  until  he  also  realized  the  great  happiness 
of  living  in  the  charmed  circle. 

The  journey  of  Miss  Pilgrim  was  long  and  in- 
teresting. It  would  take  a  whole  book  to  tell  the 
many  experiences  through  which  she  passed  be- 
fore she  came  in  sight  of  the  gate  of  Heaven.  She 
was  a  valiant  soldier  to  the  last  and  as  she  reached 
the  gates  of  light  she  was  covered  with  many  a 
scar  but  was  still  in  possession  of  her  whole  ar- 
mor. A  beautiful  angel  conducted  her  until  the 
gates  of  Heaven  swung  ajar.  Her  entrance 
through  the  shining  portals  was  most  glorious  and 
triumphant.  A  choir  of  angels  sang  her  welcome 
home.  After  this  the  gate  of  Heaven  closed  and 
it  was  not  seen  what  else  occurred  to  her. 


The  hardships  and  trials  of  this 
mortal  life  will  dwindle  into  insig- 
nificance when  the  day  of  victory 
comes.  All  the  heavy  burdens  of  the 
Christian  will  lose  their  weight  in  the 
light  of  Heaven's  gate.  Miss  Pilgrim 
was  a  noble  character  who  won  her 
way  by  faith  through  all  the  sharp 
conflicts  of  life.  How  her  heart  was 
thrilled  with  joy  as  she  saw  the 
gates  of  Heaven  open  to  her  at  the 
end  of  her  journey.  The  angels  that 
came  to  welcome  her  sang  their 
sweetest  celestial  melodies.  Such  a 
glorious  end  will  be  experienced  by 
each  one  who  puts  on  the  whole  armor 
of  God  and  goes  forth  with  courage 
in  the  battle  of  right  against  wrong 
and  of  sin  against  darkness. 


140 


'y/  s 


a  beautiful  axgel  coxducted  miss  pllgrui  uxtil  the  gates  of 

Heaven  swung  ajar.     Her  entrance  through  the  shining 

portals  was  almost  glorious  and  triumphant.     a 

choir  of  angels  sang  her  welcome  ko.me. 


^si^i^TL.:'^ik^ 


M^.^^ 


^    Q 


Ma 


The  following  narrative  is  taken  from  real  life. 
The  occurrence  happened  in  a  farming  district  in 
one  of  the  populous  counties  of  Pennsylvania. 

Two  men  owned  adjoining  farms  and  they  lived 
as  neighbors  for  many  years.  During  the  first 
part  of  this  period  the  relations  between  the  two 
men  and-  their  families  were  pleasant,  but  unfor- 
tunately a  bitter  enmity  arose  between  the  two 
farmers,  which  continued  from  year  to  year  until 
the  situation  became  desperate. 

During  the  period  of  this  bitterness  neither 
farmer  L.  nor  farmer  B.  made  the  necessary  ad- 
vancements to  settle  the  brewing  difficulty.  And  so 
the  feud  continued  to  grow  stronger  and  stronger 
until  farmer  B.  secretly  and  quietly  resolved  to 
revenge  his  neighbor.  All  this  was  unknown  to 
farmer  L.,  who  never  went  so  far  as  to  plan  re- 
venge. 

One  night,  when  the  moon  was  peeping  out  be- 
tween drifting  clouds,  farmer  L.  retired  early,  but 
for  some  reason  his  sleep  had  partly  gone  from 


144  A  TIME  WHEN  SATAN  FAILED. 

him.  In  the  deep  hours  of  the  night  he  arose  from 
his  bed  and  walked  to  the  second  story  rear  porch 
of  his  home,  whence  he  glanced  out  upon  the  ever- 
changing  scene  in  the  Heavens.  A  moment  later 
he  dropped  his  eyes  for  a  cursory  glance  across 
the  indistinct  fields,  and  to  his  surprise,  he  saw  his 
neighbor  B.  walking  slowly  toward  his  barn.  And 
just  as  plainly  as  he  saw  his  neighbor  he  saw  two 
companions  with  him,  one  seemed  to  be  dressed  in 
white  garments  and  the  other  clothed  in  black. 
These  two  strange  companions  were  unknown  to 
farmer  L.  as  he  stood  intently  gazing  upon  the  trio 
where  he  thought  that  he  could  not  be  seen  by 
them.  No  one,  under  such  circumstances,  would 
turn  away  with  indifference  and  enter  the  house, 
so  he  remained  to  watch  what  might  be  the  out- 
come of  the  strange  affair. 

The  trio  slowly  advanced  and  were  seemingly 
engaged  in  a  deep,  quiet  conversation.  Farmer  B., 
who  walked  in  the  middle,  was  earnestly  besieged 
by  his  two  companions.  Each  one  seemed  to  be  en- 
deavoring to  make  the  strongest  impression  upon 
him.  In  this  strange  manner  the  men  continued 
until  they  came  to  the  fence  not  far  from  the  barn. 
Here  they  paused  and  apparently  the  conversation 
continued.  Farmer  L.  was  greatly  perplexed  at 
the  strange  occurrence,  and  was  not  able  to  ad- 


A  TIME  WHEN  SATAN  FAILED.  145 

vance  any  explanation  that  would  satisfy  his  own 
mind.  All  he  could  do  was  to  continue  watching 
and  waiting  for  developments. 

In  a  short  time,  which  seemed  more  like  an  hour 
than  a  few  moments,  the  black  companion  slowly 
left  the  fence  and  walked  alone  across  the  field  in 
a  different  direction  from  which  the  three  had 
come.  A  moment  later  farmer  B.  started  home- 
ward accompanied  by  the  white  companion.  Far- 
mer L.  watched  the  two  until  they  were  out  of 
sight,  and  he  tarried  for  several  hours  to  see 
whether  or  not  they  would  return.  But  nothing 
greeted  his  gaze  except  the  faithful  moon,  drifting 
clouds  and  a  night  scene  of  the  earth  before  him. 
Finally  he  returnd  to  his  couch  and  rested  as  best 
he  could  until  daybreak,  after  which  he  arose  and 
ate  scantily  of  breakfast.  He  could  not  shake  off 
the  impressions  of  the  preceding  night,  and  after 
a  few  hours  of  restlessness,  he  decided  to  go  over 
and  speak  to  farmer  B.  about  what  he  had  seen 
under  the  light  of  the  quarter  moon. 

Farmer  B.  received  his  neighbor  and  story  with 
much  surprise  at  first,  and  after  a  few  moments  he 
wept  bitterly,  and  confessed  to  neighbor  L.  that  in 
the  wickedness  of  his  heart,  he  had  planned  to  set 
his  barn  on  fire  the  night  before.  He  declared  that 
he  kept  his  intentions  a  secret  from  everybody, 


146  A  TIME  WHEN  SATAN  f^AJX^D. 

even  his  own  wife.  Farmer  B.  then  related  how  he 
proceeded  across  the  field  and  was  unable  to  go  far- 
ther than  the  fence  near  the  bam.  Farmer  L.  then 
made  inquiry  concerning  the  two  strange  com- 
panions. 

''What  two  companions,"  asked  farmer  B. 

"The  two  men  who  were  walking  with  you 
across  the  field." 

"Do  you  mean  last  night!" 

"Certainly." 

"Have  I  not  told  you  that  I  revealed  my  plans 
to  nobody  and  that  I  went  alone?" 

"But  I  tell  you  in  all  honor  that  I  saw  two  crea- 
tures with  you.  One  was  dressed  in  white  and  the 
other  in  black.  You  walked  between  them,  and 
they  seemed  to  engage  your  whole  attention. ' ' 

"Very  strange!  very  strange!"  said  farmer  B. 
"I  surely  know  of  no  one  who  accompanied  me." 

Then  farmer  L.  related  again  the  whole  story 
slowly  and  clearly,  giving  all  the  details.  Every- 
thing corresponded  exactly  with  the  confession 
and  memory  of  farmer  B.  except  the  part  relating 
to  the  two  companions.  He  admitted,  however, 
that  he  was  in  a  great  war  with  his  thoughts.  At 
one  moment  some  influence  seemed  to  urge  him  to 
set  the  barn  on  fire,  then  suddenly  he  seemed  to 
feel  as  if  he  ought  to  return  home  and  not  play  the 


A  TIME  WHEN  SATAN  PAILED.  147- 

part  of  a  mean  incendiary.  Between  these  two 
forces  lie  claimed  that  he  pushed  his  way  until  he 
reached  the  memorable  fence.  Here  he  paused  and 
entertained  for  the  last  time  the  idea  of  setting  the 
barn  on  fire.  He  yielded  to  the  nobler  impulse  and 
returned  to  his  home. 

Farmer  B.  was  intensely  thankful  that  he  had 
yielded  to  the  better  impulse,  and  asked  the  pardon 
of  his  neighbor  for  the  sin  of  even  entertaining 
such  an  evil  plot  against  him.  The  pardon  was 
graciously  granted,  after  which  the  two  farmers 
were  convinced  that  the  companions  of  the  night 
previous.,  were  two  representatives  from  the  spirit 
world,  one  a  good  angel  of  mercy,  and  the  other 
a  wicked  demon. 


||nhi  to  Qlon&urt 


A  Special  Sermon  by  Satan  to  Church-Members  in  all 
parts  of  the  Christian  World. 

'^1  am  glad  for  the  opportnnity  of  telling  you 
some  up-to-date-tnitlis  regarding  revival  meet- 
ings. The  history  of  the  ages  has  proved  that 
some  of  the  methods  of  conducting  revivals  are 
not  only  weak  but  out  of  harmony  with  good  taste. 
Enthusiasm  has  damaged  the  church  through  many 
of  the  world's  ages,  for  you  can  safely  conclude 
that  when  fanaticism  runs  away  with  any  congre- 
gation, it  is  doomed  to  degenerate.  The  emotional 
spirit  is  more  manifest  among  the  less  intelligent 
people,  therefore  we  must  not  be  too  severe  in  crit- 
icising our  fathers  and  mothers  who,  under  Wesley 
and  Whitfield,  grew  very  demonstrative.  It  was 
very  common  in  those  days  to  hear  people  calling 
aloud  for  mercy  and  shouting,  or  shedding  bitter 
tears  of  penitence.  But  thanks  to  a  better  age,  we 
are  not  so  much  afflicted  with  such  scenes,  except 
in  certain  obscure  comers.    The  church  will  reach 


HOW  TO  CONDUCT  REVIVAL  MEETINGS.         149 

the  zenith  of  its  glory  only  as  it  throws  aside  the 
sensational  features  of  its  worship." 

''We  should  hail  with  delight  the  dawning  of  a 
better  era  when  revivals  will  be  conducted  in  a 
manner  more  pleasing  to  the  cultured  tastes  of 
men.  We  need  but  look  around  us  to  see  how  rap- 
idly these  improved  conditions  are  being  adopted. 
Some  churches  are  determined  not  to  keep  in  step 
with  progress,  but  there  is  hope  that  a  new  genera- 
tion will  be  more  refined. ' ' 

''It  is  therefore  the  duty  of  every  progressive 
church-member  to  discourage  any  of  those  old-time 
methods  that  put  the  church  to  ridicule  before  the 
best  thinking  people  of  the  world.  I  feel  it  to  be 
my  duty  to  lay  before  you  my  opinion  as  to  what 
is  essential  to  promote  an  up-to-date  revival." 

1.  "If  you  wish  to  promote  a  revival  secure  the 
best  possible  music. ' ' 

' '  A  small  orchestra  will  be  a  good  hit  providing 
it  render  some  drawing  selections  each  evening.  If 
you  should  incur  some  extra  expense  on  account  of 
the  music,  you  can  well  afford  to  pay  it,  as  it  will 
prove  a  good  investment.  You  can  draw  more 
people  into  the  church  with  an  orchestra  than  you 
can  with  anything  else.  The  main  point  is  to  get 
the  people  out,  no  matter  what  means  is  used." 

2.  "Do  not  put  much  stress  on  preaching." 


150         HOW  TO  CONDUCT  REVIVAL  MEETINGS. 

*'Many  a  revival  has  been  killed  just  because  the 
minister  insisted  on  preaching  salvation  each 
night.  This  is  an  old  notion  and  should  be  put 
into  the  background.  A  modern  revival  of  religion 
needs  but  little  gospel.  We  might  as  well  say,  the 
less  the  better.  If  there  is  to  be  any  preaching  ll 
ought  to  be  of  a  mild  type,  and  not  the  kind  that 
will  sound  the  fire  alarm  of  destruction.  How  can 
you  expect  to  do  good  if  you  make  your  hearers 
nervous  ?  The  very  class  of  people  whom  you  are 
trying  to  reach  are  liable  to  stay  away  if  you  will 
insist  on  plain  preaching. ' ' 

3.  ''If  possible  make  the  impression  that  the 
church  is  an  agreeable  place. ' ' 

' '  The  world  has  a  gloomy  idea  of  the  church  just 
because  of  the  manner  in  which  its  meetings  are 
conducted.  After  the  people  have  once  started  to 
come  to  your  church,  then  you  must  be  careful  not 
to  introduce  anything  unpleasant  into  the  services. 
This  is  where  the  ingenuity  of  a  good  pastor  is 
manifest.  It  is  his  duty  to  provide  pleasant  enter- 
tainment until  the  visitors  are  filled  with  the  idea 
that  the  church  is  a  social  place,  and  not  a  grave- 
yard lot.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  suggest  what 
kind  of  meetings  should  be  held  in  order  to  please 
people.  If  the  minister  has  not  yet  learned  the  se- 
cret of  this  art,  he  is  unfit  to  be  the  ruling  genius 
over  a  congregation." 


HOW  TO  CONDUCT  REVIVAL  MEETINGS.         151 

4.  ''After  you  have  shown  the  people  the  agree- 
ableness  of  the  church,  then  persuade  them  to 
join." 

' '  Do  not  ask  them  to  humiliate  themselves  before 
the  whole  congregation.  You  ought  to  be  glad  if 
they  are  willing  to  join  just  as  they  are.  It  is  your 
work  to  mould  them  into  a  better  life  by  the  good 
influence  that  you  should  ever  throw  around  them 
after  they  have  joined.  Accept  people  in  their  sin- 
ful condition  and  show  them  by  degrees  the  advan- 
tages of  a  Christian  life,  and  ere  long,  they  will  be 
filled  with  a  desire  to  be  a  Christian.  Let  me  warn 
you  not  to  be  too  strict  during  the  first  few  years 
of  their  membership.  In  all  your  corrective  meas- 
ures act  with  great  caution." 

5.  *'Do  not  insist  on  church  vows  at  first." 
''Here  is  where  a  great  majority  of  churches 

make  their  mistake.  They  compel  a  person  to 
stand  before  the  altar  and  make  a  lot  of  binding 
promises  which  they  can  never  fulfill.  The  result 
of  this  is  very  damaging  to  the  beginner.  The  bet- 
ter way  is  to  take  a  person  into  church-member- 
ship as  quietly  as  possible,  and  after  he  has  devel- 
oped into  greater  strength,  then  you  can  have  some 
kind  of  a  consecration  service  in  which  he  may 
make  certain  obligations.  By  that  time  he  will  not 
be  so  much  embarrassed." 


153         HOW  TO  CONDUCT  REVIVAL  MEETINGS. 

6.  ''Never  use  the  altar  in  revival  services." 
''You  need  not  take  the  altar  out  of  the  church, 
you  can  keep  it  there  for  an  ornament  or  for  com- 
munion service.  It  will  also  serve  as  a  foundation 
on  which  to  place  a  platform  for  cantatas  and 
other  special  services  of  the  church. ' ' 

"I  have  given  you  a  few  suggestions  for  con- 
ducting an  up-to-date  revival  meeting.  And  I 
know  of  no  better  advice  except  to  hold  no  special 
revival  services  whatever.  According  to  my  hon- 
est opinion  the  best  kind  of  a  revival  would  consist 
in  a  special  week  of  prayer,  in  which  each  member 
of  the  church  should  pray  privately  four  or  five 
evenings  during  the  week.  This  method  would 
quicken  the  religious  life  of  the  individual,  and 
would  result  in  much  more  fruit  for  righteousness 
than  the  usual  practice  of  gathering  together  con- 
tinuously evening  after  evening  in  the  church.  This 
public  gathering  invites  too  many  temptations  that 
only  weaken  the  life  of  the  church.  It  is  proved  to 
do  more  harm  than  good,  inasmuch  as  some  of  the 
weak  Christians  have  become  discouraged  upon 
seeing  the  manner  in  which  others  are  able  to  take 
part,  and  also  many  become  prejudiced  against  re- 
ligion altogether  by  seeing  the  hypocrites,  very 
often,  take  a  prominent  part  in  the  meetings.  Also 
many  young  people  take  advantage  of  such  meet- 


HOW  TO  CONDUCT  REVIVAL  MEETINGS.  153 

ings  and  as  a  result  there  is  an  undue  mingling  of 
the  sexes." 


.^5f»&frmn«bs&atemZS* 


The  purpose  of  Satan  is  to  overthrow  the  genu- 
ine kind  of  revival  meetings,  which  have  been  the 
secret  of  the  great  religious  movements  of  the 
world.  The  church  of  God  has  been  revived  in 
every  age  of  the  world,  and  during  the  special  sea- 
sons, when  the  fires  of  religious  zeal  were  burning, 
the  hearts  of  the  unregenerate  have  been  melted  so 
that  they  were  compelled  to  yield  to  the  mighty  in- 
fluence of  the  Holy  Spirit.  When  the  church  once 
casts  aside  the  zeal  which  is  born  by  Holy  Ghost 
inspiration,  then  it  will  gradually  dry  up  to  noth- 
ing and  cease  to  be  a  power  in  the  world,  but  we  do 
not  fear  that  such  a  condition  will  ever  come  to  the 
whole  church.  There  will  always  be  a  part  of  the 
visible  church  that  will  honor  its  Master  enough  to 
keep  the  fires  burning  on  the  altar,  notwithstand- 
ing the  low  methods  used  by  Satan  to  extinguish 
totally  the  sacred  flames. 

The  several  points  of  advice  given  by  Satan  to 
promote  a  good  revival  are  only  in  keeping  with 
his  destructive  policy.     They  are  all  recipes   of 


154  HOW  TO  CONDUCT  REVIVAL  MEETINGS. 

death,  although  some  truth  is  shrewdly  mixed  with 
his  false  statements.  Satan  reveals  his  meanest 
trait  by  wilfully  mixing  truth  and  error  so  as  to 
make  the  untruth  appear  like  the  truth. 

Music  has  its  proper  place  in  a  revival  meeting 
but  when  you  depend  upon  that  to  hold  people  you 
cannot  do  genuine  work.  If  a  church  is  to  be  a  so- 
cial club  then  why  not  advertise  it  as  such,  and 
cease  operating  under  a  Holy  Cross  and  a  Sacred 
Banner. 

It  would  be  expected  that  Satan  is  opposed  to 
much  preaching.  Anybody  ought  to  be  opposed  to 
long  profound  sermons  during  a  revival  meeting, 
but  that  does  not  argue  that  all  preaching  should 
be  abandoned  just  because  certain  ministers  follow 
in  the  wrong  rut.  We  pity  the  revival  meeting  in 
which  the  gospel  is  not  presented.  Satan  has  ac- 
tually impressed  many  members  of  the  church  with 
the  idea  that  preaching  should  be  reduced  to  a 
minimum  during  revival  services.  It  may  be  that 
some  people  are  getting  tired  of  the  gospel  and 
would  rather  introduce  something  in  its  place. 
There  is  nothing  to  take  the  place  of  gospel  preach- 
ing, although  many  ministers  are  tiresome,  but  it 
is  due  to  their  individual  weaknesses.  The  gospel 
itself  is  never  weak  and  it  can  be  presented  with  in- 
terest during  the  whole  lifetime  of  a  Christian.  We 


HOW  TO  CONDUCT  KEVIVAL  MEETINGS.  J  55 

certainly  differ  from  the  statement  presented  by 
Satan  that  the  preaching  should  be  mild.  The 
preaching  should  be  faithful  and  fiery;  earnest 
and  candid  from  beginning  to  end.  If  it  is  a  fear- 
less exposition  of  the  whole  truth,  the  spirit  of 
God  has  promised  to  send  it  home  to  the  hearts  of 
the  people.  Human  fear  and  apology  in  a  sermon 
has  the  same  effect  as  throwing  water  on  a  good 
fire. 

The  Devil  is  very  charitable  in  opening  the  doors 
of  the  church  to  receive  all  classes  of  sinners.  He 
realizes  what  effect  this  would  have  on  the  church. 
In  a  short  time  the  world  and  the  church  would  be 
one  and  no  one  would  know  what  to  call  the  com- 
bination, inasmuch  as  the  church  would  be  lost  in 
the  confusion  and  babble  of  the  masses.  If  you 
cannot  persuade  a  man  to  accept  Christ  before  he 
joins  church,  you  have  but  little  chance  of  doing  it 
afterward.  Let  the  church,  as  much  as  possible, 
be  separate  from  the  world.  Its  great  purpose 
ought  to  be  to  maintain  purity  and  lift  the  fallen 
to  a  better  life.  With  all  the  effort  that  can  be  put 
forth  the  church  will  still  be  compelled  to  carry  as 
QQUch  dead  tinjber  as  it  can  possibly  pull  along. 

We  expect  that  Satan  will  continue  his  deathly 
sermons  until  the  gospel  age  will  be  at  an  end.  No 
doubt  there  will  always  be  those  who  will  lend  an 


(10) 


156  HOW  TO  CONDUCT  REVIVAL  MEETINGS. 

ear  to  his  black  doctrines.  But  let  it  be  under- 
stood, by  all  who  purpose  to  work  for  Christ,  that 
the  only  method  by  which  the  world  can  be  reach- 
ed will  be  by  the  lifting  up  of  Christ  to  the  world, 
whereby  he  may  draw  all  men  unto  Him.  The 
special  revival  services  will  not  lose  their  power  if 
those  who  conduct  them  will  hold  to  the  main  feat- 
ures of  the  olden  time. 

1.  An  earnest  prayer  leading  up  to  and  during 
the  services. 

2.  An  humble  dependence  on  the  Holy  Spirit. 

3.  A  consecrated  effort  on  the  part  of  every 
Christian. 


Satan  Advances  Some  Peculiar  Arguments  on  the  Use 
of  the  Popular  Weed. 

**  There  would  be  no  need  of  discussing  the  sub- 
ject of  tobacco  were  it  not  for  those  who  are  trying 
to  cla^s  the  use  of  tobacco  among  the  evils  of  hu- 
man society.  One  cannot  remain  silent  when  a 
harmless  practice  is  abused  by  those  who  know 
least  about  it.  Men  and  women  who  know  the  value 
of  the  great  weed  are  ever  ready  to  sing  its  praises. 
It  is  amusing  to  see  men  or  women  raise  up  their 
arms  in  horror  at  an  innocent  thing  like  tobacco, 
while  at  the  same  time  they  wink  their  eyes  at  some 
of  the  great  sins,  that  are  eating  away  the  founda- 
tions of  home  and  happiness. ' ' 

'^The  narrow-minded  critics  never  look  to  see 
the  blessings  that  come  to  the  human  family  from 
the  use  of  tobacco.  Such  people  would  be  surpris- 
ed if  they  knew  how  many  millions  of  people  alive 
to-day  would  contribute  to  the  erection  of  a  grand 
monument  in  honor  of  any  man  of  whom  it  could 


158  A  TOBACCO  SERMON  BY  SATAN. 

be  said  that  he  first  gave  this  innocent  weed  to  the 
world. ' ' 

''I  want  to  say  for  the  comfort  of  all  who  have 
learned  to  appreciate  the  benefits  of  tobacco :  Do 
not  be  alarmed,  you  will  never  be  robbed  of  this 
choice  blessing.  There  will  always  be  enough  sen- 
sible people  in  the  world  to  uphold  a  good  thing. 
If  you  are  numbered  with  the  army  of  tobacco 
users,  you  need  not  be  ashamed  of  your  company. 
It  is  not  only  the  largest  army  but  it  is  composed 
of  the  most  illustrious  sons  of  the  human  family, 
from  the  honest  mechanic  to  the  king  on  his 
throne. ' ' 

"You  may  wonder  how  any  one  could  be  op- 
posed to  a  practice  so  beneficial.  Allow  me  to  give 
you  a  few  of  the  reasons : 

1.  ''Because  tobacco  happens  to  be  of  a  dark 
instead  of  a  light  color.  If  its  color  were  light  like 
chewing-gum,  it  would  be  considered  fit  for  angels 
to  use." 

2.  ''Because  it  has  an  unpleasant  odor  to  some. 
Why  should  that  be  an  objection?  There  are  many 
other  things  that  have  unpleasant  odors  that  are 
considered  very  good.  There  are  some  kinds  of 
cheese  that  are  bought  on  account  of  their  bad 
smell,  and  the  stronger  their  odor  the  more  they 
are  worth.    There  are  certain  kinds  of  foods  that 


A  TOBACCO  SERMON  BY  SATAN.  159 

have  unpleasant  odors  to  some  people,  and  yet  that 
does  not  argue  that  the  food  is  unfit  to  eat.  The 
reason  why  tobacco  has  an  unpleasant  odor  to 
some  people  is  because  they  are  dainty  in  their 
tastes,  or  not  fully  developed  in  their  physical 
senses.  A  man  or  woman  of  a  mature  experiences 
well  knows  how  to  appreciate  the  pleasant  odor  of 
tobacco. ' ' 

3.  ''It  is  claimed  that  the  use  of  tobacco  is  a 
filthy  habit,  but  filth  is  a  flexible  word.  If  we  were 
to  take  a  mouthful  of  our  food  after  it  is  masticat- 
ed, it  would  present  anything  but  a  pleasant  ap- 
pearance. We  are  in  the  habit  of  swallowing  food 
after  we  chew  it.  Thus  it  happens  that  one  never 
sees  how  much  filth  enters  into  his  stomach.  Cer- 
tainly much  more  than  should  ever  reach  there. 
The  man  who  uses  tobacco  is  wise  enough  not  to 
swallow  the  rich  brown  liquid,  but  to  expel  it  from 
his  body,  and  because  of  this  wisdom  he  is  charged 
with  being  filthy.  Would  it  not  be  an  act  of  im- 
prudence if  a  man  should  swallow  all  this  liquid? 
I  have  no  apology  to  make  for  the  man  who  al- 
lows his  mouth,  his  mustache  and  clothing  to  be 
stained  with  tobacco  juice.  That  is  an  evidence  of 
a  man's  untidiness,  and  why  should  you  place  the 
blame  on  the  tobacco!  You  mark  my  word  that 
any  person  who  becomes  unclean  with  tobacco,  is 


leO  A  TOBACCO  SERMON  BY  SATAN. 

also  undean  in  many  of  his  other  habits.  Because 
a  person  is  unclean  with  a  good  thing,  does  not 
argue  that  the  article  itself  is  unfit  for  use." 

4.  ''It  is  further  claimed  that  tobacco  is  an  ex- 
pensive luxury.  This  phase  of  the  question  is 
hardly  worth  considering.  Anything  valuable 
costs  money,  and  of  all  the  good  things  in  the 
world,  tobacco  is  one  of  the  cheaj^at.  A  man  can 
get  more  solid  comfort  out  of  one  dollar's  worth 
of  tobacco  than  he  can  by  expending  the  same 
amount  of  money  for  anything  else  in  the  world, 
even  in  a  lodge  or  a  church. ' ' 

'"There  are  many  other  foolish  reasons  given 
against  the  use  of  tobacco,  but  it  is  only  a  waste 
of  time  to  consider  them.  Tobacco  has  come  to 
stay.  It  is  entrenched  forever  in  the  affections  of 
the  human  race,  and  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  pro- 
duce arguments  in  favor  of  it,  as  it  wins  its  own 
way.  It  supplies  its  own  demand  and  nothing  else 
in  the  world  can  take  its  place.  It  has  cheered 
many  a  lonely  pilgrim  in  his  journey  by  day  and 
by  night ;  it  has  brought  comfort  to  many  a  heart 
in  trouble ;  it  has  sent  sweet  peace  into  the  bosom 
of  the  wretch,  when  nothing  else  could  drown  his 
care,  and  it  has  instilled  quietness  into  weak  nerves 
that  would  otherwise  have  become  prostrated  or 
shattered." 


A  TOBACCO  SERMON  BY  SATAN.  161 

Not  long  ago  I  heard  a  popular  member  of  the 
church  say  that  he  got  more  good  out  of  tobacco 
than  out  of  the  prayer  meeting.  The  church  and 
the  world  would  be  better  if  we  heard  more  such 
words.  The  best  church  member  is  the  man  who 
knows  how  to  get  the  good  out  of  this  weed.  In 
his  work  he  is  more  cool-headed;  in  his  spirit 
more  charitable  and  in  his  mind  more  logical.  If 
I  had  an  option  on  several  men,  that  would  be  the 
kind  of  a  man  I  would  choose  to  serve  me  in  any 
cause. 


A  y^tia  (EDmmrntB  an  ti^t  Qlobarro  Btmwn 


It  is  easily  known  why  Satan  makes  such  a 
strong  defense  of  the  tobacco  habit.  It  is  his 
great  century  stepping  stone  from  the  mild  use  of 
narcotics  to  the  open  door  of  intemperance.  One 
does  not  like  to  be  too  severe  in  placing  a  whole- 
sale condemnation  upon  every  person  who  uses 
tobacco.  The  warfare  has  not  been  waged  in  this 
direction  long  enough  to  open  the  eyes  of  all  good 
people.  The  day  is  not  far  distant  when  the  mask 
will  be  torn  off  of  the  Devil  and  the  use  of  tobacco 
will  be  considered  in  its  true  light.  No  words  need 
be  lost  to  prove  that  the  habit  is  a  filthy  one,  cor- 


162  A  TOBACCO  SERMON  BY  SATAN. 

rupting  both  body  and  soul.  The  use  of  tobacco 
is  also  weakening.  Countless  thousands  have  been 
wrecked  under  the  terrible  blight  of  this  weed, 
and  countless  thousands  more  have  had  the  keen- 
est edge  of  their  nervous  powers  worn  off.  One 
can  never  tell  how  much  stronger  or  healthier  he 
might  have  been  in  life,  had  he  never  been  addict- 
ed to  the  use  of  this  weed. 

Perhaps  the  weakest  argument  used  by  Satan 
is  the  comfort  argument,  which  indeed  ought  not 
to  be  called  an  argument.  It  is  not  a  very  high 
type  of  manhood  that  must  look  for  comfort  in  a 
cigar,  a  pipe  or  a  plug  of  tobacco.  If  tobacco 
gives  comfort  it  is  just  because  the  absence  of  it 
would  make  a  person  irritable.  It  satisfies  the 
craving  which  it  creates,  and  then  because  the  per- 
son is  satisfied  he  gives  the  tobacco  the  credit  of 
being  a  comforter.  Of  what  avail  is  tobacco  when 
great  troubles  sweep  over  the  soul  ?  At  such  times 
we  must  rely  upon  the  sure  help  of  the  Heavenly 
Comforter,  or  be  left  to  the  suffering  of  a  cold 
world. 

The  expense  of  tobacco  is  worthy  of  serious  con- 
sideration. It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  during  a 
panic  when  people  are  star\'ing,  that  fathers  of 
families  will  take  their  last  money  to  buy  tobacco 
rather  than  bread  or  dothing  for  their  children. 


A  TOBACCO  SERMON  BY  SATAN.  I63 

This  onl/  proves  that  tobacco  holds  a  controlling 
hand  over  the  will  of  the  individual,  proving  that 
the  use  of  tobacco  so  weakens  a  man  that  he  is  un- 
able to  exercise  his  will  power  as  he  should.  A 
man  should  not  become  a  slave  to  anything  in  this 
life,  therefore  it  is  better  to  master  the  tobacco 
than  to  have  the  tobacco  master  you. 


i«W««i 


m^  ifbtrfi  f/z.fr'^ 


Of  all  the  lunch  counters  controlled  by  Satan 
none  are  more  shrewdly  managed  than  his  free 
lunch  counters  at  the  Theological  Seminary.  He 
offers  to  give  free  of  charge  any  kind  of  lunch  of 
which  the  students  wish  to  partake.  He  lectures 
in  his  peculiar  way,  telling  the  students  that  if 
they  pay  the  price  for  Bible  and  Moral  knowledge 
he  will  supply  anything  on  the  counter  free  of 
charge. 

Just  because  one  can  get  these  free  things  so 
easily  the  counter  is  well  patronized.  There  is  a 
dish  called  Conceit  that  is  relished  by  the  average 
student.  Some  eat  more  than  their  natural  share 
and  consequently  become  top  heavy.  The  Devil 
will  give  anybody  as  much  conceit  as  he  wants  for 
nothing.  There  is  another  dish  called  Doubt  which 
is  equally  relished  by  some  of  the  students.  Some- 
times when  the  Devil  is  very  busy,  he  gets  some 
of  the  Seminary  professors  to  help  him  in  dealing 
Doubt  to  the  students.  Satan  is  highly  pleased  to 
see  such  distinguished  gentlemen  working  at  the 


"^ 


■l  .47  A 


\    Wv.  ^^^"^-  "  "fl 


^ 


The  Devil's  Fbee  Lttnch  CouNTEat. 


16G  THE  DEVIL'S  FKEE  LUNCH  COUNTER. 

free  lunch  counter.  Some  have  gone  so  far  as  to 
give  the  students  more  Doubt  than  anything  else 
and  consequently  the  student's  growth  is  very  un- 
profitable. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  name  all  the  differ- 
ent kinds  of  dishes  that  can  be  found  on  this  pe- 
culiar counter.  We  find  one  kind  of  food  is 
Worldly  Ambitions,  another  is  Despair,  while 
others  are  intended  for  the  lower  instincts  of  man. 

Altogether  too  many  give  heed  to  the  pleasing 
words  of  the  Devil  who  is  ever  preaching  his  little 
sermons  behind  the  counter,  and  it  takes  a  person 
of  strong  purpose  who  is  able  to  reach  beyond 
the  counter  to  grasp  the  better  things  that  are  hid- 
den. The  situation  at  the  present  time  compels  a 
young  man  to  climb  over  temptation  if  he  wishes 
to  get  anything  good.  He  must  reach  over  the 
easily  accessible  dishes  containing  Pride,  Ego- 
tism, Hatred,  Jealousy  and  the  rest  of  the  im- 
mense bill-of-fare  provided  by  Satan  to  all  seek- 
ers after  truth  and  righteousness. 

We  are  happy  to  say  that  Satan  does  not  control 
the  keys  of  the  closets.  These  doors  will  fly  open 
to  any  earnest  mind  who  is  intent  upon  finding  the 
truth.  If  Satan  had  the  power  he  would  lock  every 
door  that  opens  to  pure  knowledge  so  tightly  that 
neither  man  nor  God  could  open  it. 


THE  DEVII/S  FKEE  LUNCH  COUNTER.  167 

The  free  lunch  counter  loses  its  attraction  to 
all  young  men  whose  aims  are  lofty  and  whose 
purposes  and  convictions  are  pure.  We  are  glad 
to  relate  that  there  are  throngs  of  such  students 
at  the  Theological  Seminary  who  are  working  to 
overcome  the  influence  of  the  free  lunch  counter. 
This  condition  gives  hope  for  the  future  and 
promises  to  put  to  shame  the  pessimist  who  is 
prophesying  that  everything  is  going  bad.  Where 
such  students  are  in  abundance  the  Devil  is  com- 
plaining of  dull  business. 

We  are  strong  in  our  convictions  that  the  com- 
ing age  will  be  one  in  which  the  present  optimist, 
who  rides  in  his  beautiful  chariot,  will  have  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  the  fulfillment  of  his  past 
dreams  and  the  realization  of  all  the  blessings 
long  foretold. 


iErnm  (Som^  j^ 


t0  Hn^  ^Mpl^ 


to  (Eljurrly  j*  ^ 


Address  Delivered  Before  a  Meeting  of  Evil  Spirits. 

Once  upon  a  time,  the  dark  spirits  in  one  of 
their  meetings  listened  to  a  speech  entitled :  * '  How 
to  Keep  People  From  Going  to  Church."  We 
need  not  mention  how  the  meeting  opened  or  the 
preliminary  business  that  was  transacted  before 
the  subject  was  considered.  Suffice  to  say  that  at 
the  appointed  hour,  a  tall,  shrewd  agent  of  the 
Devil  stood  before  a  mixed  company  of  evil  spirits 
and  delivered  the  following  address : 

^'It  is  indeed  profitable  that  we  consider  such  a 
timely  subject.  By  a  mutual  exchange  of  opinions 
we  become  richer  in  our  general  stock  of  wisdom, 
therefore  it  is  good  for  our  cause  that  we  meet  in 
gatherings  of  this  kind.  How  much  we  were 
profited  by  the  very  able  remarks  we  heard  at  our 
last  meeting.  Since  that  time  we  have  been  more 
successful  in  planting  the  seeds  of  Infidelity  in  the 
minds  of  church  members. ' ' 

**If  I  could  hope  to  do  even  a  tithe  as  much 
good  for  our  cause  by  my  present  effort,  I  should 
feel  well  repaid  for  the  work  it  cost  to  gather 


HOW  T0  KEEP  PEOPLE  FROM  CHURCH.  159 

these  thoughts  and  suggestions  which  I  am  about 
to  give  you.  In  regard  to  church  attendance  I 
would  say  that  we  can  never  expect  to  gain  de- 
cided progress  so  long  as  there  is  a  large  number 
of  church-going  j^ersons.  If  we  could  x>ersuade 
people  to  remain  away  from  the  places  of  worship, 
it  would  only  be  a  matter  of  a  few  years  until  the 
popular  craze  of  church  work  would  be  at  a  very 
low  ebb,  and  its  end  would  then  be  in  sight." 

' '  Thus  I  have  shown  you  the  importance  of  this 
subject  before  I  present  the  subject  itself  to  you. 
We  have  cause  to  congratulate  ourselves  on  the 
great  success  of  our  work,  and  if  you  will  give 
close  attention,  I  will  do  my  little  part  to  throw 
out  some  useful  hints  along  the  line  of  my  subject. 
If  I  were  endeavoring  to  influence  a  soul  against 
church  attendance,  I  would  work  along  one  or 
more  of  the  following  lines,  which  I  will  now 
briefly  indicate: 

1.  Kill  the  influence  of  the  Minister,  if  possible. 

"This  is  one  of  the  easiest  ways  to  keep  people 
from  religious  services.  If  you  can  get  church 
members  to  lose  confidence  in  their  preacher,  then, 
even  if  they  should  stumble  into  church,  it  is  not 
likely  that  they  will  get  any  good  from  what  they 
hear.  When  you  undertake  to  kill  the  minister's 
influence,  you  have  a  right  to  use  any  method, 


170  SOW  TO  KEEP  PEOPLE  FROM  CHURCH. 

whether  it  is  foul  or  fair.  All  that  you  must  keep 
in  view  is  to  blacken  the  preacher's  character  or 
get  the  people  to  question  his  ability.  If  you  are 
a  little  careful  you  can  easily  determine  which 
persons  of  the  congregation  will  assist  you  in  cir- 
culating wild  rumors  or  spreading  some  damag- 
ing falsehood.  If  you  follow  along  this  line  with 
vigor,  you  will  not  only  gain  a  point  with  many  of 
the  people,  but  you  may  also  get  the  preacher  to 
believe  that  it  is  time  for  him  to  resign  from  the 
ministry. ' ' 

2.  Get  them  to  overwork  on  Saturday. 

*'One  very  effectual  way  to  get  people  to  stay 
away  from  church  on  Sunday  is  to  get  them  to 
overwork  themselves  on  Saturday.  Persons  of 
ordinary  strength  can  be  easily  caught  in  this 
trick.  Urge  them  to  work  on  Saturday  until  very 
late  at  night,  so  that  when  they  retire,  they  are 
completely  exliausted.  Then  in  all  likelihood  when 
they  arise  on  Sunday  morning,  they  will  have  a 
severe  headache,  or  be  under  the  spell  of  a  languid 
feeling,  that  even  if  they  do  get  to  church  it  will 
not  amount  to  much. ' ' 

3.  Sunday  visiting. 

''Encourage  Sunday  excursions  and  the  enter- 
tainment of  visitors  on  Sunday,  especially  during 
the  time  covering  church  hours. '* 


HOW  TO  KEEP  PEOPLE  FKOM  CHUKCH.  171 

' '  I  have  noticed  in  my  own  experience  that  some 
good  Christian  people  who  are  bold  enough  to  go 
through  fire  for  their  God,  are  easily  caught  if 
some  smiling  friend  comes  from  a  distance  just 
before  church  time  and  refuses  to  go  along  to 
meeting.  Then  again,  if  we  can  succeed  in  getting 
people  to  entertain  company  on  Sunday,  they  will 
naturally  go  to  much  extra  work  and  thereby 
break  the  Sabbath  day,  and  this  is  also  a  good 
thing  for  us."  At  this  juncture,  one  of  the  listen- 
ers interrupted  the  speaker  with  the  question : 

*'Do  you  think  it  is  wrong,  Mr.  Essayist,  even 
from  ar  Christian  standpoint,  for  one  to  entertain 
company  on  Sunday?" 

''According  to  Christianity  it  is  not  wrong  of 
itself,  if  first  of  all  attention  is  given  to  public 
worship  and  private  devotion." 

' '  But  what  I  wish  to  know  is  this :  Are  we  gain- 
ing any  point  if  we  get  a  person  to  stay  away  from 
church  after  he  has  done  all  that  he  could  do  to 
persuade  the  visitors  to  accompany  him.  Is  it  not 
a  case  of  compulsion  on  the  part  of  the  Christian 
to  remain  at  home  under  such  circumstances'?" 

''It  appears  very  much  that  way,  and  for  that 
reason  I  have  remarked  that  it  is  one  of  the 
shrewdest  schemes  that  we  can  work.  A  person 
may  not  be  guilty  of  sin  in  each  case,  but  one  thing 


(") 


172  HOW  TO  KEEP  PEOPLE  FROM  CHURCH. 

is  sure,  when  he  stays  at  home,  that  means  one 
more  absentee  from  the  church  on  that  day.  Even 
che  most  sanctified  Christian  is  put  to  his  wit's 
end,  for  he  does  not  wish  to  walk  off  to  church 
and  leave  his  company  at  home,  nor  does  he  wish 
to  order  the  company  out  of  the  house.  It  cer- 
tainly places  a  person  in  a  trap  from  which  it  is 
hard  to  escape.  Now  it  is  your  duty  to  set  the 
trap  as  often  as  you  possibly  can." 

*'I  see  the  point,"  said  the  questioner,  ^'and  I 
shall  make  more  effort  hereafter  along  this  line. 
It's  not  hard  to  put  a  notion  in  some  worldly 
minded  person  to  go  and  visit  a  Christian  on  Sun- 
day morning,  and  then  refuse  to  go  along  to 
church  with  him." 

''Ah!"  said  the  essayist  with  a  smile,  "you  are 
getting  at  the  point  now,  and  I  hope  all  of  you  will 
catch  the  inspiration  of  these  ideas  and  work 
along  this  line  for  all  you  are  worth." 

4.  Weather  conditions. 

"Make  good  use  of  the  weather  conditions  to 
keep  people  away  from  church." 

(A)  Stormy  weather. 

"  If  it  should  be  stormy,  you  have  an  easy  argu- 
ment, only  be  sure  to  advance  it,  for  }t  often  hap- 
pens that  unless  you  use  your  influence  some 
Christians  will  go  to  church  through  any  kind  of 


HOW  TO  KEEP  PEOPLE  FROM  CHURCH.  173 

weather.  If  you  are  shrewd  you  can  keep  many 
people  away  from  church  by  suggesting  to  their 
minds  the  dangers  of  breathing  the  damp  air  and 
the  risk  that  they  take  of  catching  cold.  If  they 
have  no  rubbers  to  cover  their  shoes,  use  that  as 
an  argument,  and  if  they  happen  to  have  rubbers, 
try  and  find  some  fault  with  them.  If  there  are 
no  holes  in  them,  try  and  make  the  owners  believe 
that  the  rubbers  leak  somewhere." 

''Then  perhaps  you  can  make  a  point  with  the 
lunbrella  argument.  If  they  should  happen  to 
have  a  whole  umbrella  try  and  make  them  believe 
that  it  IS  too  windy  to  carry  it,  or  that  it  is  out  of 
shape.  You  understand  me,  bring  up  anything 
imaginable,  just  so  you  can  influence  the  person 
to  stay  away  from  church.  Let  me  give  you  a  little 
of  my  own  experience." 

* '  I  undertook,  not  long  ago,  "to  persuade  a  per- 
son to  remain  away  from  church  in  London.  Af- 
ter I  had  gone  to  much  trouble  to  get  within  hear- 
ing distance,  I  played  upon  the  man's  mind,  but 
I  found  that  he  was  a  stubborn  case.  He  was  set 
upon  going  to  church  at  all  hazards.  I  used  a 
common  argument  but  that  had  no  effect.  The 
rain  was  falling  quite  briskly,  and  finally  I  sug- 
gested to  him  that  his  umbrella  was  not  large 
enough  to  keep  the  rain  from  the  lower  part  of  his 


174  HOW  TO  KEEP  PEOPLE  FROM  CHURCH. 

pantaloons,  and,  by  the  way,  he  had  just  bought 
a  new  pair  the  day  before.  This  was  the  opening 
wedge  and  I  actually  won  my  point. ' ' 

'  *  This  is  merely  an  illustration  and  it  is  to  teach 
you  how  to  work  one  point  after  another  without 
giving  up  too  easily.  You  can  see  that  people  do 
not  imagine  that  it  is  our  voice  speaking  to  them. 
These  suggestions  from  us  are  not  called  tempta- 
tions ;  they  just  look  upon  them  as  thoughts  aris- 
ing in  their  minds." 

(B)  Fair  weather. 

'*If  it  should  be  very  nice  weather,  then  use 
your  influence  to  get  people  to  take  a  walk  in  the 
bracing  air,  during  the  time  they  are  supposed  to 
be  in  church.  Just  tell  them  quietly  that  they  have 
been  confined  enough  through  the  week,  and  if 
they  should  get  a  little  of  God's  fresh  air  it  would 
be  more  sensible  than  to  go  into  a  room  filled  with 
people,  and  breathe  the  foul  air,  to  say  nothing 
of  listening  to  a  long  monotonous  sermon.  In  this 
age  of  wonderful  mechanism,  do  not  neglect  to 
persuade  people  to  use  the  bicycle  or  automobile 
for  Sunday  riding  in  fine  weather." 

''Be  bold  in  your  suggestions.  A  cowardly 
heart  never  wins  a  great  scheme.  Stick  to  a  per- 
son on  Sunday  morning  until  you  have  engaged 
his  mind  with  one  idea  after  another.     Perhaps 


HOW  TO  KEEP  PEOPLE  FROM  CHURCH.  175 

with  a  multitude  of  suggestions  you  will  strike 
one  weak  spot  in  a  person's  nature,  and  that  will 
be  enough.  It  pays  to  work  hard  to  influence  a 
soul  to  do  wrong.  We  can  see  the  fruits  of  it  in 
the  weakening  of  the  church. ' ' 

(C)  Hot  and  cold  weather. 

*'If  you  are  a  little  shrewd,  you  will  have  a 
wonderful  help  in  the  extremes  of  the  weather.  A 
person  is  never  so  easily  overcome  with  our  ar- 
guments, as  when  he  has  been  whipped  with  the 
boiling  sun  until  the  perspiration  flows  freely. 
Hot  weather  seems  to  force  people  into  our  line 
and  the  same  is  true  of  cold  weather.  The  oppor- 
tunities of  victory  are  many,  and  if  you  are  half  in 
earnest  you  can  keep  most  people  away  from 
church  on  one  pretext  or  another." 

''Let  me  give  you  an  instance  of  one  of  my  sub- 
ordinates. He  undertook  to  keep  a  woman  away 
from  church  on  a  hot  summer  evening.  But  no, 
she  was  determined  to  go.  So  my  friend  quietly 
whispered  in  the  secret  of  her  heart:  'Don't  you 
know  you  are  liable  to  faint  on  such  a  hot  evening 
if  you  are  closely  packed  in  a  pew  and  cannot  have 
freedom  of  motion?'  " 

"It  seems  that  she  had  not  thought  of  that  be- 
fore and  she  had  a  i)eculiar  feeling  right  after  the 
suggestion  was  given.     This  was  enough,  and  as 


176  HOW  TO  KEEP  PEOPLE  FROM  CHURCH. 

simple  as  it  was,  she  stayed  at  home  that  evening. 
There  is  no  €xed  law  on  this  point:  You  must 
simply  learn  to  make  use  of  the  circumstances  at 
hand." 

5.  Take  advantage  of  social  conditions. 

**It  is  true  that  in  each  congregation,  some  peo- 
ple belong  to  the  poorer  class.  Now  you  can  work 
a  pretty  scheme  by  telling  the  poor  people  that 
they  are  not  wanted  in  that  church,  especially  be- 
cause their  clothing  is  sadly  out  of  style.  Then  go 
to  the  rich  people  and  tell  them  that  it  is  beneath 
their  dignity  to  go  to  church  where  so  much  poor 
trash  is  found.  This  plan  works  well  in  congre- 
gations where  the  society  feeling  is  well  develop- 
ed." 

6.  Health  conditions. 

''We  must  not  be  asleep  in  this  fast  age  of  sci- 
entific advancement.  Let  us  make  use  of  every 
possible  bit  of  knowledge  to  advance  our  cause. 
Since  the  discoveries  by  a  man  called  Pasteur,  the 
people  have  had  their  eyes  opened  to  the  wonder- 
ful world  of  bacteria  and  animalculae.  You  can 
make  a  very  decided  impression  on  the  minds  of 
the  cultured  people  by  reminding  them  of  the  ter- 
rible danger  to  which  they  are  exposed  in  a  poor- 
ly ventilated  church,  as  most  churches  are.  De- 
scribe the  germs  of  disease  floating  around  in  the 


MOW  TO  KEEP  PEOPLE  FROM  CHURCH.  177 

air,  and  in  mad  glee  rushing  down  the  throat,  one 
million  at  every  breath.  Be  sure  to  tell  them  that 
if  there  is  one  consumptive  in  the  church,  that 
they  are  liable  to  carry  home  with  them  a  few 
million  living  microscopic  animals."  A  certain 
evil  spirit  then  ventured  a  question: 

''What  should  we  tell  such  persons  if  they 
should  turn  upon  us  and  bring  up  the  theatre  and 
other  public  gatherings  of  the  world?" 

**Just  tell  them  that  these  public  halls  are  ven- 
tilated according  to  science,  and  that  the  average 
churchr  sexton  knows  nothing  about  science.  The 
less  you  argue  that  point  the  better.  If  you  get 
hold  of  a  stubborn  case,  then  try  to  shift  the  ar- 
gument to  some  other  point." 

7.  Use  the  arrows  of  gossip. 

*'I  have  known  cases  where  everything  else 
failed  to  keep  persons  away  from  church  until  they 
were  shot  by  the  arrows  of  gossip.  My  essay 
would  be  incomplete  if  I  should  not  consider  this 
point.  It  is  very  easy  to  hire  some  woman  or 
some  man  to  go  to  a  person  and  tell  him  that  a 
certain  good  Christian  in  the  church  passed  some 
insinuating  remark  against  him.  Also  be  sure  to 
let  the  impression  that  their  going  to  church  is  a 
stumbling  block  to  somebody  else.  This  is  a 
strong  point  and  has  been  proved  to  have  a  sledge- 


178  HOW  TO  KEEP  PEOPI-E  FROM  CHURCS. 

hammer  e:ffect  upon  some  of  the  staunchest  Chris- 
tians. You  can  make  certain  persons  believe  that 
they  are  suffering  for  Jesus'  sake  by  remaining 
at  home.  If  you  do  succeed  in  getting  them  to 
stay  at  home,  be  sure  to  follow  them  up,  and  you 
may  succeed  in  getting  them  to  stay  at  home  quite 
a  number  of  Sundays.  Then  when  you  have  them 
on  slippery  paths,  you  can  make  them  fall  with 
more  ease." 

8.  Stir  up  controversy  whenever  possible. 

''Stir  up  a  fight  whenever  you  can.  Create  jeal- 
ousies and  develop  a  spiteful  and  revengeful  na- 
ture. In  this  manner  you  can  drive  out  more  re- 
ligion in  one  day  than  a  person  can  pray  into  his 
heart  in  a  whole  week.  Now  listen  to  me  carefully 
for  some  of  you  do  not  seem  to  realize  which  are 
the  strongest  weapons  of  your  warfare.  Work 
hard  to  create  dissensions,  as  it  takes  very  little 
to  get  some  church  members  to  fight.  They  wUl 
often  fight  with  one  another  over  something  worth 
less  than  a  bone.  Afterward  some  of  them  will 
very  likely  remain  away  from  church  altogether. ' ' 

"When  you  do  get  a  good  fight  started,  hiss 
them  on.  Don't  worry  about  how  many  feathers 
are  pulled  or  how  fast  the  hair  flies.  The  more  the 
better.  You  just  stand  back  and  clap  your  hands 
and  cheer  them  all  you  can.    It  is  always  more  en- 


Sow  TO  KEEP  PEOPLE  FKOM  CHURCH.  17§ 

joyable  to  see  a  set  of  professing  Christians  quar- 
rel, than  to  see  a  good  bulldog  fight. ' ' 

At  this  point  the  essayist  came  to  an  abrupt 
ending.  The  auditors  who  had  cheered  enthusi- 
astically during  the  reading  of  the  essay  were  also 
cheering  lustily  at  the  last  sentence,  and  as  soon 
as  they  realized  that  the  essay  was  finished,  they 
redoubled  their  cheers.  The  hosts  of  Hell  will  al- 
ways give  applause  to  anything  that  is  damaging 
to  the  church  of  Christ  or  any  of  its  members. 


__  /* ^ 


One  day  we  met  a  man  who  had  listened  to  many 
a  sermon  by  Satan  on  the  subject  of  the  lower  pas- 
sions. He  had  been  told  that  it  was  good  for  a 
man  to  be  like  the  beast  in  his  body,  and  in  his 
mind  to  rise  beyond  the  things  that  are  earthly. 
This  teaching  pleased  the  man,  and  consequently 
he  tried  to  develop  both  sides  of  his  nature  so  as 
to  be  well-balanced.  The  result  was  just  the  same 
as  if  you  would  throw  a  weight  over  the  wings  of 
a  bird  and  then  expect  to  see  it  j3y  away  toward  the 
blue  of  Heaven.  The  man  had  been  told  in  one 
of  Satan's  sermons  that  nature  called  only  for  that 
which  should  be  granted,  and  therefore  that  he 
should  not  deny  himself  by  a  constant  restraint. 
It  would  be  a  long  story  if  we  were  to  tell  what 
arguments  Satan  used  to  persuade  this  man  to 
live  the  life  of  a  libertine.  He  was  confused  by  one 
fallacy  after  another,  until  the  finer  sense  of  his 
moral  taste  was  perverted. 

Speaking  in  general  it  is  sadly  true  that  Satan 
takes     advantage    of    human    inclinations,    and 


SAtAN  ON  SENSUALITY.  181 

strikes  his  telling  blows  at  the  weakest  part  of 
man's  nature.  As  a  result  of  this  condition  we 
find  that  there  are  many  willing  disciples  who 
gladly  render  obedience  to  Satan's  black  sermons 
of  Sensuality  and  Adultery.  These  sermons  that 
seem  to  have  a  wizard  influence  are  whispered  in 
the  ear  of  the  soul,  and  blast  the  flower  of  purity 
more  than  cruel  frost  would  blast  a  rose. 

How  sublime  is  the  word  of  God  in  its  portrayal 
of  human  nature.  It  mentions  the  flesh  as  one  of 
the  chiefest  enemies,  and  teaches  that  he  who  con- 
quers this  foe  is  a  real  hero,  and  that  he  will  re- 
ceive a  more  glorious  reward  than  kings  bestow 
upon  their  favorites. 

Look  at  one  of  the  illustrious  characters  of  the 
New  Testament.  He  forged  his  way  to  the  front 
through  visible  and  invisible  foes  that  threatened 
to  overcome  him.  Paul  proved  his  strength  by 
his  steadiness  even  when  the  thorn  in  the  flesh  was 
pricking  out  his  patience.  He  lifts  up  his  praises 
to  God  for  this  bitter  means  whereby  he  was  en- 
abled to  scale  mighty  heights  in  his  experience. 
The  peculiar  type  of  this  conflict  brought  into  ex- 
ercise the  strongest  parts  of  his  nature.  The 
power  by  which  he  won  this  victory  was  the  very 
force  that  made  him  master  of  his  times. 

If  Satan  were  honest  he  would  confess   that 


182  SAT^AN  ON  SENSUALITY. 

since  he  did  not  create  man,  therefore  he  does  not 
know  what  is  essential  to  his  highest  development. 
But  God,  who  not  only  formed  but  sustains  the 
human  framework  with  its  conscious  soul  con- 
nected, knows  that  the  pathway  to  real  achieve- 
ment is  rough,  and  covered  with  many  a  thorn. 
The  man  who  is  master  of  the  flesh  is  a  world-con- 
queror, and  some  day  he  will  be  luler  over  an  em- 
pire more  vast  than  any  that  earth  ever  knew. 

Satan  is  not  satisfied  if  a  person  takes  one  or 
two  lessons  in  crime,  or  if  he  travel  on  the  soul- 
deadening  path  of  Sensuality,  but  he  is  constantly 
endeavoring  to  persuade  people  to  travel  on  one 
or  another  of  the  degrading  by-paths  that  lead  off 
from  Sensuality.  One  of  the  most  famous  of 
these  by-paths  is  the  one  called  Adultery.  Satan 
or  one  of  his  agents  is  ever  standing  at  the  junc- 
tion of  these  two  roads  and  putting  forth  every 
effort  to  induce  those  who  have  gone  into  Sensu- 
ality to  travel  off  into  Adultery. 

As  you  look  at  the  picture  you  can  see  how 
careful  Satan  is  to  place  the  traps  of  Adultery  be- 
hind a  cliff  of  rocks,  so  that  they  who  travel  on  the 
path  of  Sensuality  cannot  see  the  destruction  into 
which  they  are  so  liable  to  fall.  The  temptations 
of  the  enemy  are  manifold  to  persuade  i)eoplo 
.into  this  calamity,  and  if  one  sets  his  foot  upon 


SATAN  ON  SENSUALITY.  jgj 

the  path  of  Adultery  there  are  always  grinning 
imps  enough,  as  you  see  in  the  picture  hiding  be- 
hind the  rocks,  to  pull  the  trap  door,  so  that  he 
may  suddenly  stumble  into  the  abyss  of  ruin. 

It  should  be  clearly  understood  that  the  Devil 
is  the  sole  owner  of  the  many  paths  that  lead  off 
from  Sensuality.  He  has  one  path  called  Forni- 
cation, upon  which  many  are  induced  to  travel. 
To  such  he  offers  a  beverage  of  obscenity  which 
so  deadens  their  sensibility  that  they  stumble  on 
in  crime  with  a  thoughtlessness  that  is  appalling. 

Another  by-path  of  Sensuality  is  called  Concu- 
piscence, which  leads  off  into  a  vile  park.  There 
are  other  by-paths  to  correspond  to  every  shade 
of  sensual  sin.  Thousands  of  demons  are  em- 
ployed all  along  this  black  district,  sapping  the 
life-blood  of  the  millions,  and  destroying  the  souls 
of  all  who  aUow  themselves  to  become  slaves  of 
the  lower  nature,  by  following  the  dictates  of 
fleshy  lusts. 

We  would  sound  a  word  of  warning:  Do  not 
travel  on  the  general  path  of  Sensuality,  which  is 
in  the  territory  of  the  Devil.  If  you  keep  off  of 
this  path  you  will  not  be  led  into  any  one  of  the 
terrible  places  such  as  are  indicated  in  the  picture 
heretofore  mentioned. 

The  only  reward  that  Satan  offers  to  any  one 


184  SATAN  ON  SENSUALITY. 

who  enters  upon  Adultery  is  pollution  and  defile- 
ment in  sugar-coated  form.  This,  when  taken,  is 
so  blackening  that  its  stain  cannot  be  erased  from 
the  soul  by  any  power  except  Almighty  God,  and 
then  only  at  the  earnest  supplication  of  the  one 
defiled. 


One  cannot  tra\  el  the  By-Path  of  Adultery  withol't  falling 

INTO  ONE  OR   another   OF   THE   TRAPS  OF    SaTAN. 


THK     kind     ok     LIHIORTY     THAT    SOME     YOUNG     MEN     ARK     ENJOYING. 

"Ah,"'  rei'liei)  the  rich  young  jian,  "I  will  not  be  held 

DOWN   I5Y   A   SET   OF   CHURCH   RXTLES.       I    AM   BOUND   TO   BE   A 

FREE   MAN." 


A  very  pious  clergyman,  while  on  liis  way  to 
church  one  day,  met  a  friend  who  was  under  the 
bondage  of  sin.  The  minister  was  very  much  in- 
terested in  the  young  man's  welfare,  and  he  paus- 
ed upon  the  highway  and  spoke  to  him  kindly  con- 
cerning the  terrible  consequences  of  sin.  The 
young  man  was  rich  and  handsome  and,  by  reason 
of  his  standing  in  society,  he  had  thus  far  main- 
tained a  neat  appearance. 

The  handsome  young  man  did  not  realize  how 
far  he  had  gone  in  sin  nor  to  what  extent  he  was 
bound  by  dissipation.  He  was  flattered  so  much 
by  his  friends,  and  he  seemed  to  have  such  a  gay 
time,  that  he  was  led  to  imagine  that  he  was  en- 
joying the  greatest  amount  of  liberty  possible. 

''Will  you  accompany  me  to  yonder  churchl'* 
requested  the  minister. 

''For  what  reason?"  tersely  asked  the  gentle- 
man. 

"For  your  own  good  and  the  good  of  others 
over  whom  you  may  have  an  influence/* 


188  THE  BONDAGE  OF  SIN. 

"Wculd  you  insinuate  that  I  am  not  good?'* 

''I  am  insinuating  nothing.  I  had  only  politely 
asked  you  to  go  with  me  to  church." 

''Perhaps  you  think  I  ought  to  join  church?" 
interrogated  the  young  man  with  an  air  of  dignity. 

'  *  I  am  certain  that  you  would  be  better  and  hap- 
pier in  time  and  in  eternity  if  you  were  to  forsake 
your  sins  and  unite  with  the  church." 

"Ah!"  replied  the  rich  young  man,  ''I  will  not 
be  held  down  by  a  set  of  church  rules  or  by  the 
bondage  of  a  Christian  life.  I  am  bound  to  be  a 
free  man." 

"  'Bound  down,'  my  friend,  do  you  not  realize 
that  you  are  already  bound  a  hundred  times  more 
than  you  could  ever  be  bound  by  any  church  1  Per- 
haps you  do  not  realize  that  you  are  already  under 
a  terrible  weight  of  intemperance,  but  because  of 
your  physical  strength  you  are,  as  yet,  bearing  it 
with  ease.  But  mark  my  words,  that  burden  will 
crush  you  to  death  if  you  do  not  shake  it  off." 

"Hold  on,  parson!"  interjected  the  courteous 
gentleman,  "you  are  becoming  rather  personal. 
If  I  were  a  hothead  like  some  men  I  should  reply 
to  you  with  warmth  in  my  words." 

"I  hope  I  have  not  misjudged  you,"  continued 
the  minister,  "I  had  hoped  that  you  would  ap- 
preciate the  plain  words  of  truth,  from  one  who  is 


THE  BONDAGE  OF  SiN.  ^g^ 

ever  your  true  friend.  I  know  I  am  talking  to  a 
gentlemanly  man,  therefore  I  pray  tliat  you  will 
give  heed  to  my  warning  this  day. ' ' 

* '  But  why  do  you  speak  with  such  alarm  in  your 
words?" 

*'Just  because  I  can  clearly  see  that  you  are  al- 
ready under  bonds,  which  if  you  do  not  shake  off 
will  shackle  you  to  death.  Your  trouble  is  not 
only  intemperance,  my  friend,  but  if  your  eyes 
were  open  you  could  readily  see  what  weights  you 
are  carrying  with  you.  You  are  already  chained 
by  lust,  vanity  and  other  weights." 

**Now  parson,  pardon  me  for  interrupting  you 
a  second  time.  It  seems  to  me  that  you  are  rather 
impolite  in  referring  to  me  in  such  a  personal 
manner. ' ' 

*  *  I  am  your  best  friend  if  you  only  knew  it  By 
the  help  of  God  I  would  have  you  realize  that  you 
are  bound  down  by  something  worse  than  all  the 
church  rules  in  the  world." 

The  young  man  became  irritated  so  much  by 
the  words  of  the  minister  that  he  turned  away  and 
ceased  to  regard  his  kindly  admonitions.  The  eye 
of  the  minister  followed  him  as  he  proceeded  in 
the  course  of  sin  and  folly. 


(la) 


If  it  were  not  foe  Uncle  Sam,  the  Saloon  Devil  would  be 
ovebtheown  mobe  easily.    why  does  he  pbotect  it? 


T&nth  ^am  ^  ^  ^  ^ 


Once  upon  a  time  the  Saloon  Devil  looked  up 
into  the  face  of  Uncle  Sam  and  asked  for  employ- 
ment. 

**What  kind  of  work  do  you  want?"  said  Uncle 
Sam  as  he  bent  his  tall  form  to  catch  the  answer 
of  the  low  Devil. 

*'To  create  and  satisfy  the  appetitie  for  strong 
drink. ' ' 

**Very  well,"  answered  Uncle  Sam,  ''you  may 
go  to  work  at  once  in  any  manner  you  choose." 

So  the  Saloon  Devil  went  to  work  with  a  high 
hand.  He  sold  to  the  rising  generation  and  those 
of  riper  years  all  manner  of  intoxicating  bever- 
ages. The  result  of  his  work  was  very  disastrous. 
He  made  such  things  as  ruined  souls,  broken 
hearts,  broken  homes  and  all  manner  of  woe,  want, 
wretchedness  and  death,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
almshouses,  asylums  and  penitentiaries  that  he 
helped  to  fill. 

Now  it  happened  that  Uncle  Sam  noticed  the 
nature  of  the  work  done  by  this  Saloon  Devil,  who 


192  THE  SALOON  DEVIL  AND  UNCLE  SAM. 

in  turn  well  knew  that  Unele  Sam  was  watching 
him,  but  the  Devil  did  not  know  how  to  cover  his 
evil  work.  Sometime  afterward  the  two  met  again 
and  the  following  conversation  took  place: 

*^You  remember,  Mr.  Saloon  Devil,  that  I  gave 
you  permission  to  do  a  certain  kind  of  work,  but 
I  never  dreamed  that  your  work  would  be  so  hor- 
rible. Now  be  honest  and  tell  me  what  you  have 
accomplished. ' ' 

^'I  admit,"  confessed  the  Saloon  Devil,  ''that 
my  work  is  looked  upon  as  being  disrespectable, 
and  I  pray  that  you  will  this  day  make  me  appear 
more  decent  in  the  eyes  of  the  public.  By  reason 
of  your  great  strength  and  influence  you  have  the 
power  to  place  upon  me  a  new  robe  of  respecta- 
bility." 

"And  how  can  I  do  that  I"  asked  Uncle  Sam  in 
a  friendly  manner. 

"You  can  adopt  license  laws  to  regulate  the  li- 
quor business,  and  by  complying  with  these  laws, 
I  can  do  an  honorable  business  under  the  sanction 
and  authority  of  my  great  Uncle  Sam." 

"But  that  will  be  putting  my  approval  upon 
it,"  said  Uncle  Sam  suspiciously. 

"You  can  easily  do  that  with  profit  to  yourself 
by  charging  me  a  nice  sum  for  the  license.  The 
money  you  get  through  the  granting  of  licenses 


THE  SALOON  DEVIL  AND  UNCLE  SAM.  193 

dlone  will  be  more  than  sufficient  to  run  the  public 
schools,  so  if  there  is  a  little  harm  done  by  the 
business  on  one  side,  there  will  be  untold  blessings 
poured  out  upon  your  children  on  the  other  side. ' ' 

Uncle  Sam  chuckled  in  an  odd  fashion  as  this 
ingenious  scheme  was  unfolded  to  him.  *'You 
are  indeed  a  clever  old  Devil,  and  I  have  a  mind 
to  comply  with  your  request.  If  you  pay  the 
amount  of  money  I  fix,  I  will  protect  you  in  your 
business  by  making  it  legal.  Then  if  anyone 
forcibly  interferes  with  you,  I  will  fight  him  off, 
even  if  I  must  use  the  whole  army  and  navy  of 
the  United  States  to  accomplish  it." 

The  Saloon  Devil  was  highly  elated  over  his  for- 
tunate deal.  He  knew  that  he  could  not  live  long 
under  natural  freedom  unless  he  won  some  kind  of 
public  endorsement.  He  was  perfectly  willing  to 
pay  any  price  that  Uncle  Sam  might  demand, 
knowing  that  he  could  produce  a  cheaper  grade  of 
liquor  or  sell  it  at  a  higher  figure,  or  in  some  way 
(fonduct  the  business,  so  that  the  extra  cost  of  li- 
cense would  fall  upon  the  consumers  instead  of 
the  saloon-keepers. 

A  short  time  after  this,  one  could  see  the  power- 
ful hand  of  Uncle  Sam  placed  in  protection  over 
the  Saloon  Devil,  and  the  people  stood  wondering 
at  the  situation. 


194  THE  SALOON  DEVIL  AND  UNCLE  SAM. 

The  Saloon  Devil,  although  robed  in  a  respect- 
able garment,  continued  to  do  the  same  horrible 
and  dirty  work  as  before.  It  seemed  that  nothing 
satisfied  his  greed  but  the  most  terrible  outrages 
resulting  from  the  use  and  abuse  of  intoxicating 
drinks. 

He  always  put  a  screen  between  the  outside  and 
the  inside  sign  of  his  business.  He  rejoiced  at  the 
thousands  of  delirium  tremens  patients  that  were 
carried  to  hospitals,  or  madly  tore  their  way 
through  the  open  door  of  Hell,  reeking,  foaming 
and  screaming  as  they  went  down.  The  Saloon 
Devil  loved  crape,  and  rejoiced  time  after  time  as 
he  saw  it  hanging  from  the  doors  of  homes,  where- 
in a  son  lay  dead  who  had  fallen  down  early  under 
the  Juggernaut  wheels  of  Alcohol. 

Whenever  jails  and  penitentiaries  were  too  small 
this  same  Demon  laughed  in  ghoulish  glee,  and 
when  fresh  idiots  were  pushed  into  crowded  asy- 
lums, he  grinned  with  a  satisfaction  that  was  sick- 
ening and  revolting  to  contemplate.  Whenever  a 
frenzied  brain  directed  a  murderer's  hand  to 
plunge  a  fatal  knife  or  discharge  a  deadly  weapon 
in  the  Saloon  quarrel,  this  Saloon  Devil  would  cry 
out  as  he  saw  the  crimson  heart's  blood  flowing  in 
spurts:  "That's  my  favorite  color  now,  hurrah 
for  blood  red." 


THE  SALOON  DEVIL  AND  UNCLE  SAM.  195 

Such  common  spectacles  as  suffering  and  starv- 
ing orphans  and  widows  served  to  whet  the  appe- 
tite of  this  Demon  as  seasoning  does  in  the  food  of 
mortals.  If  it  ever  happened  that  any  one  told 
him  to  stop  his  hellish  business  he  would  point 
with  pride  to  his  license  neatly  framed,  and  de- 
clare that  he  was  doing  an  honorable  business 
under  the  sanction  of  Uncle  Sam.  Just  as  hon- 
orable as  the  grocery  or  dry  goods  business. 

No  tongue  or  pen  can  portray  the  terribleness 
of  this  whole  business.  By  reason  of  its  wither- 
ing effects,  numberless  efforts  have  been  made  by 
individuals  to  check  the  insolent  advance  of  the 
Rum  Devil.  All  these  proved  of  but  little  account. 
The  most  effective  work  has  been  accomplish- 
ed by  one  or  another  of  the  organizations  having 
for  their  sole  aim  the  overthrow  of  the  Rum  Devil. 
One  of  the  movements  that  has  been,  and  is  still 
endeavoring  to  destroy  the  Saloon  Devil,  is  called 
Local  Option.  As  this  force  marches  towards  the 
enemy,  it  finds  that  Uncle  Sam  and  his  soldiers 
are  standing  in  defense  of  the  whole  liquor  busi- 
ness. So  Local  Option,  with  much  difficulty,  must 
labor  heavily  to  operate  even  on  a  small  area  at 
one  time.  Local  Option  would  accomplish  much 
more  if  it  were  not  for  the  respectability  with 
which  uncle  Sam  has  clothed  the  Saloon  Devil. 
One  day  the  Saloon  Devil  noticed  the  anny  of 


196  THE  SALOON  DEVIL  AND  UNCLE  SAM. 

W.  C.  T.  U.  and  he  told  Uncle  Sam  that  he  dread- 
ed that  crowd  of  women  about  as  much  as  any- 
thing else.  ''They  are  so  sneaking  in  their  work. 
Their  indirect  methods  and  roundabout  ways,  I 
fear,  will  do  more  to  cut  off  my  future  supply  of 
customers  than  anything  else." 

Uncle  Sam  looked  down  upon  the  Saloon  Devil 
and  asked  him  what  he  thought  of  the  Prohibition 
Hosts  that  were  advancing. 

"I  shudder  with  dread  as  I  think  of  them,  but 
so  long  as  I  can  keep  the  church  blinded  to  the 
value  of  a  united  move  against  me,  I  can  smile  at 
the  few  votes  that  fall  like  lead  upon  me.  I  have 
worked  harder  to  keep  the  saloon  question  out  of 
politics  than  you  can  imagine.  I  always  urge  peo- 
ple to  pray  and  talk  and  wait.  Every  single  vote 
that  hits  a  saloon,  hits  me.  Bless  you,  dear  Uncle 
Sam,  nothing  makes  me  feel  so  safe  before  my 
enemies  as  your  strong  arm  raised  in  protection 
over  me." 

"Yes,  my  son,"  said  Uncle  Sam,  ''and  you  shall 
have  my  strong  arm  so  long  as  you  pay  me  such 
large  sums  of  money  to  carry  on  your  business." 

"What  think  you  of  the  Anti-Saloon  League 
that  is  arrayed  against  you?"  further  asked 
Uncle  Sam. 

"I  could  no  more  stand  before  them  than  I 
could  before  any  of  the  other  powers  if  it  were  not 


THE  SALOON  DEVIL  AND  UNCLE  SAM.  197 

for  your  blessed  hand,  my  dear  Uncle.  As  long 
as  you  place  your  strong  sanction  of  license  au- 
thority upon  my  head,  I  shall  feel  safe  from  the 
armies  that  are  moving  upon  me  to  bring  about 
my  destruction. ' ' 

''As  to  the  church  I  have  but  little  fear  inas- 
much as  the  attack  from  that  source  is  scattered. 
I  must  admit,"  smilingly  continued  the  Devil, 
"that  if  the  church  forces  were  united  that  they 
could  do  eternal  damage.  I  am  even  convinced 
that  they  would  have  the  power  to  pull  your  hand 
off  of  my  head." 

"Never  mind,"  said  Uncle  Sam,  "just  you  go 
ahead  creating  widows  and  orphans,  j&lling  jails 
and  almshouses,  sending  thousands  to  the  peni- 
tentiary and  killing  thousands  upon  thousands 
every  year.  Just  go  ahead  and  blast  the  hearts 
and  hopes  of  many.  Continue  your  robbing, 
plundering  and  ruining.  I  will  keep  my  hand  upon 
your  head  until  there  are  enough  voters  in  my  do- 
minion who  shall  declare  that  you  should  no  long- 
er be  clothed  with  respectable  authority.  Then, 
my  son,  I  shall  leave  you  to  fight  your  battles 
alone  and  not  until  then." 

How  many  people  think  that  it  would  be  a  good 
thing  to  take  away  the  hand  of  protection  which 
covers  the  saloon  and  in  its  place  let  the  verdict 
of  condemnation  fall  upon  it? 


'^ 


(i^^^^i^^^J 


%  S^iiil  0n  Huk^  4:34 


''These  three  words  in  the  form  of  a  command 
were  spoken  many  centuries  ago,  under  strange 
circumstances.  A  certain  man  was  filled  with  a 
spirit  of  independence  and  was  controlled  by  what 
is  called  an  unclean  spirit.  This  unclean  influ- 
ence was  in  reality  a  dignified  and  powerful  spirit 
who  was  swaying  the  man  contrary  to  the  wishes 
of  one  who  was  called  Christ.  Consequently  when 
Christ  approached  the  man  He  was  in  the  act  of 
displaying  His  power,  when  the  spirit  within  the 
man  cried  out  in  commanding  tones:  'Let  us 
alone.*  This  was  done  in  a  cool  deliberate  man- 
ner and  only  because  Christ  was  i-eaching  after 
territory  which  was  in  the  possession  of  anothor  ' ' 


LET  US  ALONE.  199 

''If  it  were  not  for  the  interference  on  the  part 
of  Christ,  this  world  would  see  what  Satan  was 
able  to  do.  It  is  now  as  it  always  has  been,  if  any 
person  has  ill  luck  or  chooses  to  act  mean,  all  the 
responsibility  is  placed  on  the  broad  shoulders  of 
an  innocent  Devil.  All  the  black  crimes  of  which 
men  and  women  are  guilty  and  all  the  filthy  deeds 
with  which  they  pollute  themselves  are  also  made 
chargeable  to  the  Devil.  This  unjust  condition  of 
affairs  has  been  going  on  for  several  thousand 
years,  even  before  Christ  came  into  the  world  in 
person.  If  the  Devil  had  one  chance  to  prove  his 
innocence  and  to  show  to  the  world  what  he  could 
do,  millions  of  people  would  open  their  eyes  in 
astonishment. ' ' 

' '  The  so  called  unclean  spirit  that  controlled  the 
man  mentioned  in  the  text  is  called  by  all  kinds 
of  black  names,  just  because  he  has  incurred  the 
displeasure  of  the  Great  Spirit  who  created  all 
things.  Satan  works  on  the  same  principles  that 
govern  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Whatever  he 
gains  by  conquest  he  claims.  I  need  not  pause  to 
relate  the  magnificent  conquest  through  which  Sa- 
tan passed  in  order  to  gain  possession  of  this  man. 
One  thing  is  sure,  Satan  held  possession  at  the 
time  when  Christ  made  his  appearance.  There- 
fore, 1  wish  to  ask,  in  the  name  of  fairness,  who 


At  the  AfPfiOAcii  OF  Christ  the  devils  held  fast  to  thb  man 

AND  CRIED  out:      "LjIT  US  ALONE." 


LET  US  ALONE. 


had  the  right  to  this  man  at  the  time  when  these 
events  occurred!  The  answer  is  not  hard  to  find. 
Satan  was  the  indisputable  master  of  that  man 
and  no  one  had  a  right  to  interfere  with  him. 
Christ  took  advantage  of  the  situation  and  hap- 
pened to  meet  the  man  in  one  of  his  changeable 
moods.  This  explains  why  he  stepped  aside  from 
His  regular  work  of  the  day  to  win  a  convert." 

*  *  It  is  stated  in  the  same  narrative  that  the  man 
was  thrown  around,  which  will  not  be  denied.  Sa- 
tan did  what  any  soldier  would  do  when  attacked. 
He  made  an  effort  to  defend  his  possessions.  And 
had  it  not  been  that  he  was  compelled  to  fight 
against  two,  there  would  have  been  no  question  as 
to  the  outcome.  Satan  can  always  conquer  a  man 
when  he  gets  him  alone.  And  he  can  always  keep 
him  under  control  so  long  as  no  one  interferes." 

*'In  the  light  of  all  these  facts  the  three  words 
of  our  text  are  very  significant.  '  Let  us  alone '  is  a 
fitting  command  from  the  mouth  of  a  prince  who 
is  well  able  to  manage  his  own  affairs.  I  will  give 
you  a  few  circumstances  under  which  Satan 
should  be  left  alone." 

I.  ''Whenever  Satan  is  in  full  possession  of  a 
man  or  woman  he  should  be  left  alone  so  as  to 
complete  the  work  which  he  has  already  com- 
menced. ' ' 


202  I'ET  US  ALONE. 

''The  reason  why  there  are  so  many  moral 
wrecks  is  because  Satan  is  interfered  with  and  no- 
body else  understands  how  to  complete  the  work 
which  he  has  commenced.  If  Satan  is  left  alone 
he  will  bring  a  soul  to  its  highest  development 
even  though  it  be  over  a  rough  path. ' ' 

2.  ''Satan  should  not  be  disturbed  when  he  is 
training  a  person  to  intemperate  habits." 

"  It  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  tasks  in  the  world 
to  train  a  man  properly  along  the  line  of  intemper- 
ance. It  often  happens  that  when  Satan  is  about 
to  finish  his  work  that  some  busybody  interferes 
and  spoils  the  whole  job.  Some  people  are  very 
unreasonable  in  blaming  Satan  for  all  the  miser- 
able effects  of  intemperance.  Why  don't  they  put 
the  blame  on  the  Creator  who  implanted  such  a 
craving  appetitie  in  the  individual.  The  Devil  is 
the  most  merciful  creature  living.  He  takes  a 
man  just  as  he  is  and  tries  to  give  him  satisfaction 
along  the  line  of  his  appetitie,  and  if  the  Creator 
has  given  him  a  strong  will  power  the  man  will  be 
able  to  carry  out  the  whole  program  of  the  Devil 
and  in  the  end  come  out  a  perfect  man.  Satan 
cries  out  to-day  in  his  unmistakable  language; 
'Let  us  alone.'  We  understand  our  business  and 
no  one  ought  to  assume  the  right  to  spoil  the  pro- 
gram which  we  have  made. " 


LET  US  ALONE.  203 

3.  ' '  Satan  should  be  let  alone  when  he  is  trying 
to  manage  the  affairs  of  civil  government." 

''It  has  been  of  great  profit  to  the  world  that 
the  Devil  was  permitted  to  show  what  he  could  do 
when  once  he  holds  the  reins  of  state.  The  best 
results  that  have  been  seen  on  the  stage  of  human 
history  have  been  produced  under  the  guiding 
hand  of  the  so-called  black  prince  of  the  air.  The 
only  reason  for  all  this  is  because  Satan  is  a 
shrewd  financier  and  a  safe  politician.  The  most 
illustrious  governments  of  ancient  history  were 
all  unde^  the  domination  of  his  Satanic  majesty. 
The  ruling  spirits  of  the  world  during  the  middle 
ages  all  drank  from  the  cup  of  knowledge  furnish- 
ed by  the  hand  of  Satan.  The  great  nations  that 
stood  between  .ancient  and  modern  civilization 
have  been  the  very  forces  that  made  possible  the 
glorious  achievement  of  later  centuries.  In  regard 
to  modem  history,  no  one  seems  to  understand  to 
what  an  important  degree  Satan  has  played  his 
part  on  the  thrones  of  kingdoms  and  the  legisla- 
tive halls  of  republics." 

"In  the  light  of  this  truth  is  it  not  painful  to 
see  the  manner  in  which  some  Christians  are 
struggling  to  interfere  with  Satan  in  his  own  king- 
dom. Since  Satan  has  done  so  well  in  the  past 
why  not  trust  him  to  the  future.  We  hope  that 
this  will  be  done  throughout  the  world." 


g04  LET  US  ALONE. 

4.  *' Satan  should  be  positively  let  alone  in  the 
heathen  countries  of  the  world.  Is  it  not  a  won- 
derful creature  who  is  able  to  bring  blessings  to 
humanity  by  civilization  at  one  place,  and  at  the 
same  time  bring  blessings  through  heathendom  at 
other  places.  Satan  has  a  rightful  command  over 
all  the  dark  nations  of  the  earth,  and  therefore 
what  right  has  the  followers  of  Christ  to  inter- 
fere? This  very  interference  has  cost  not  only 
many  human  lives,  but  untold  pain  and  suffering 
to  the  innocent  heathens  who  are  involved. 

''These four  grand  divisions  do  not  comprehend 
all  the  instances  in  which  Satan  should  be  let 
alone.  They  are  merely  samples  of  the  situation. 
And  to  put  the  whole  matter  into  a  nutshell  I 
would  assert  that  Satan  should  be  let  alone  at  all 
times  inasmuch  as  he  holds  an  undoubted  claim 
on  the  world." 


OIommpntH  an  t\)t  Aboup  ^rrmnn       Qj 


l£il 


Can  anybody  mix  the  truth  and  the  untruth  so 
shrewdly  as  the  Devil?  Some  of  his  blackest  lies 
are  made  to  look  a  little  white  just  because  he 
knows  how  to  do  it.  The  foregoing  sermon  is 
faulty  in  construction,  faulty  in  logic  and  infin- 
itely worse  than  all  that  it  is  as  untrue  as  it  can 


LET  US  ALONE.  205 

be.  "We  will  make  no  particular  mention  of  the 
first  part  of  the  sermon  but  will  confine  ourselves 
to  the  four  general  reasons  which  Satan  gives  to 
urge  that  he  should  be  left  alone. 

1.  We  do  not  doubt  that  Satan  would  like  to  be 
left  alone  when  he  gets  possession  of  a  soul,  for 
it  is  on  such  kind  of  soil  that  he  can  raise  the  most 
poisonous  weeds  if  no  one  opposes  his  despicable 
work.  He  knows  very  well  what  the  result  will  be 
if  he  can  have  his  own  way  in  any  individual  soul. 
He  will  bring  it  into  full  subjection  to  himself, 
and  will  thereby  deaden  the  conscience,  blast  the 
virtue  until  the  last  fire  of  hope  has  died  out. 
Nothing  but  the  blackest  ruin  lies  in  the  wake  of 
his  route  and  if  he  were  to  tell  the  truth  he  would 
unfold  a  tale  of  horrors  that  would  be  sickening 
to  hear  and  a  thousand  times  more  terrible  to  ex- 
perience. It  is  the  business  of  every  good  mean- 
ing man  and  woman  to  interfere  as  much  as  pos- 
sible with  the  work  of  the  Devil  in  the  human  soul. 

2.  So  far  as  intemperance  is  concerned  it  hardly 
seems  necessary  that  anything  need  be  said.  The 
church  or  the  world  is  fully  conscious  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  Satan  trains  one  in  intemx>erance. 
By  the  time  he  is  through  with  his  training  he  has 
a  body  that  is  bloatd,  a  pocketbook  that  is  empty, 
a  brain  that  is  ruined  and  a  soul  that  is  lost.  That 


131 


206  I^ET  US  ALONE. 

is  the  highest  training  mark  that  the  Devil  ever 
reaches  when  he  is  let  alone. 

3.  In  this  third  sentence  Satan  uses  his  most 
subtle  views.  He  jumbles  together  one  bad  asser- 
tion after  another  as  if  they  were  all  matter  of 
fact.  He  makes  no  attempt  to  prove  anything  he 
says,  and  the  great  majority  of  his  claims  are  ab- 
solutely false. 

Any  one  who  has  studied  ancient,  medieval  or 
modern  history  is  easily  convinced  that  the  Devil 
played  no  particular  part  in  the  upbuilding  of  the 
human  race.  On  the  other  hand  he  has  played  the 
part  of  holding  back  the  real  light  from  flooding 
over  the  countries  of  the  globe,  whether  it  be  the 
real  light  of  civilization  or  the  light  of  the  cross. 
It  was  the  Devil  who  inspired  the  great  movement 
to  drown  out  the  hopeful  light  of  civilization  in 
Greece.  It  was  not  so  much  Xerxes  at  the  head 
of  Ihe  armies  of  Asia  as  it  was  the  Devil.  It  was 
the  Devil  who  instigated  the  movements  of  the 
Crescent  against  the  Cross  with  the  endless  tales 
of  bloody  horror  which  have  not  yet  ceased.  It 
was  the  Devil  who  kept  the  fires  of  inquisition 
burning  so  as  to  retard  the  progress  of  religious 
light  and  liberty.  It  was  the  same  Devil  who  ran 
a  race  to  the  shores  of  America  to  cultivate  th« 
seeds  of  slavery  and  infidelity.     What  more  in- 


LET  US  AL©NE.  207 

stances  are  required  to  show  that  Satan  has  had  a 
black  hand  and  a  devastating  influence  over  the 
affairs  of  men. 

4.  The  logic  that  Satan  uses  to  prove  that  he 
has  a  right  to  the  heathen  countries  of  the  world 
is  about  as  perfect  as  a  broken  window  pane.  It 
is  sadly  true  that  he  has  had  his  own  way  in 
many  sections  of  the  globe  through  long  centuries 
of  time.  But  this  right  of  possession  does  not 
argue  the  right  of  maintenance,  especially  when 
the  Devil  is  a  liar  and  a  murderer.  It  is  to  be  ex- 
pected that  Satan  will  oppose  the  missionary  ope- 
ration of  the  church,  for  he  knows  that  his  king- 
doms are  being  shaken  more  and  more  as  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  is  established.  We  may  all  re- 
joice in  the  open  door  of  hope  through  which  the 
advancing  columns  of  Christ's  army  have  entered 
with  more  complete  victory  ever  in  sight.  The 
Devil  need  not  expect  that  we  will  let  him  alone, 
neither  will  our  God  let  him  alone  for  he  is  a 
doomed  creature.  For  yet  a  little  while  he  may 
show  his  angel  face  and  his  horrid  horns,  but  then 
he  will  be  confined  to  penal  chains.  He  will  then 
be  left  alone  with  his  own  and  with  those  who  have 
chosen  him  for  their  god,  but  those  who  have  re- 
jected him  will  be  let  alone  to  work  out  the  glor- 
ious miracles  of  grace  in  the  light  of  the  millennial 
and  the  long  eternity  following. 


What  we  here  call  the  Hobbly  Factory  repre- 
sents one  of  the  most  remarkable  branches  of  Sa- 
tan's industries.  It  is  a  place  where  hobbies  are 
manufactured  for  the  use  of  such  persons  as  can 
be  persuaded  to  ride  them.  The  following  is  given 
as  an  outline  of  an  address  delivered  by  Satan  to 
the  managers  of  this  large  factory. 

"I  am  glad  to  meet  with  you  on  this  occasion. 
It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  look  into  the  faces  of 
those  who  have  rendered  such  excellent  service  in 
my  kingdom.  I  have  called  you  together  at  this 
time  to  give  you  a  few  additional  instructions  rela- 
tive to  this  particular  branch  of  our  work.  It  is 
quite  evident  that  the  use  of  Hobbies  will  never 
be  out  of  date  and  in  order  for  us  to  do  more  ef- 
fective work  we  must  improve  on  our  present  pat- 
terns, and  keep  adding  new  designs  as  rapidly  as 
possible.  We  have  found  by  past  experience  that 
we  can  reach  certain  people  with  a  wooden  horse 
quicker  than  with  one  of  flesh," 

''You  deserve  much  praise  for  the  manner  in 


THE  HOBBY  FACTORY.  209 

which  you  have  induced  many  professing  Chris- 
tians to  become  radical  and  so  narrow  in  their  be- 
lief that  they  can  easily  confine  themselves  to  rid- 
ing one  of  these  Hobbies.  (Riding  one  idea  to 
death.)  I  admit  that  you  have  some  professing 
Christians  that  are  hard  to  handle.  They  are 
charitable  and  do  not  allow  themselves  to  live  be- 
tween high  and  narrow  walls  where  the  light  can 
reach  them  at  one  angle  only." 

Note :  The  Devil  does  not  like  Christians  whose 
hearts  are  open  to  the  beams  of  truth  shining 
from  any  direction.  There  is  a  type  of  broad- 
mindedness  that  is  well  pleasing  to  Satan  but  not 
that  kind  in  which  the  sincere  heart  is  ever  open 
to  conviction. 

As  Satan  continued  to  speak  to  the  managers  he 
put  new  earnestness  in  his  voice: 

'' Whenever  you  can  make  a  Hobby  so  attractive 
that  an  earnest  Christian  will  confine  himself  to 
riding  it  instead  of  working  in  the  great  vineyard 
and  sacrificing  for  Christ,  you  have  won  a  good 
victory. ' ' 

''In  our  work  we  meet  with  a  certain  class  of 
earnest,  devoted  Christians  on  whom  our  teachings 
have  no  effect.  They  are  temptation  proof  and 
Devil  proof.  T^^iat  can  we  better  do  with  such 
people  than  to  get  them  to  ride  some  Hobby.     It 


210  THE  HOBBY  FACTORY. 

is  my  experience  that  this  method  proves  more  ef- 
fective than  any  other.  If  we  can  succeed  in  get- 
ting a  good,  well  balanced  worker  to  run  off  on 
one  line  until  he  believes  that  his  Hobby  is  the 
best  of  all,  then  it  may  happen  that  he  will  look 
down  upon  his  brother  as  being  his  inferior  in 
righteousness,  just  because  he  differs  from  him  in 
opinion.  The  more  we  can  kill  charity  among 
brethren,  the  more  will  the  power  of  the  church  be 
crippled. ' ' 

''There  arc  many  fault-finding  church-members 
who  can  be  persuaded  to  ride  a  Hobby.  For  these 
we  ought  to  have  some  of  special  design,  so  that 
when  they  ride  on  them  they  will  be  rocked  to 
sleep.  When  their  eyes  are  once  closed  to  the  war- 
fare of  a  Christian's  life,  they  become  an  easy 
prey  to  any  form  of  temptation  that  may  come 
along. ' ' 

"I  rejoiced  greatly  as  I  looked  over  the  wide 
field  of  our  operations  to  see  that  we  have  in  use 
several  millions  of  Hobbies.  The  most  of  these 
are  special  doctrinal  Hobbies.  It  is  a  pleasing 
spectacle  to  behold  so  many  members  of  the  church 
riding  themselves  to  death  on  the  lifeless  horses 
that  have  been  manufactured  right  here  in  this 
wonderful  building.  You,  my  esteemed  managers, 
must  not  think  you  are  employed  in  any  mean  de- 


THE  HOBBY  FACTORY.  21 1 

partment  of  my  service.  If  you  do  your  work 
well,  you  are  entitled  to  a  rich  reward.  Even  the 
most  common  branch  of  my  work  has  its  important 
features.  In  your  labors  you  cannot  be  too  ingeni- 
ous, nor  can  you  be  too  exact.  Spare  not  the  stain- 
ing pot  or  the  paint  brush  or  the  finishing  mate- 
rials. Your  cares  and  your  pains  will  find  reward 
in  good  results.  Just  a  few  days  ago  I  noticed  that 
a  man  of  considerable  intellectual  power,  who 
might  have  made  a  good  worker  in  the  ranks  of 
our  enemies,  was  switched  off  on  a  tangent  and  it 
is  very  likely  that  the  rest  of  his  life  will  be  spent 
in  trying  to  prove  that  true  baptism  consists  in  be- 
ing dipped  backward  into  the  water,  and  that  any 
other  form  is  null  and  void.  This  is  quite  a  victory 
for  our  cause.  Not  because  it  is  wrong  to  dip  a 
person  backward,  but  if  we  can  get  a  person  to  be- 
lieve that  no  other  way  is  right,  then  he  will  regard 
many  an  earnest  Christian  as  being  out  of  har- 
mony with  Bible  truths. ' ' 


Bamt  l\aUsi  on  llyp  iRemarkfi  ilaJJe 


It  is  very  difficult  to  tell  what  kind  of  eccentric 
people  the  Devil  likes  the  best.  There  are  some 
people  who  believe  that  Satan  has  nothing  to  do 


212  THE  HOBBY  FACTORY, 

with  making  a  man  extremely  radical  on  some  re- 
ligious doctrine.  These  same  people  seem  to  think 
that  there  is  no  Devil  mean  enough  to  trespass  on 
religious  territory,  and  so  they  have  been  working 
side  by  side  with  Satan  without  seeming  to  know 
it.  A  person  is  excused  for  holding  firmly  to  any 
views  that  he  sincerely  believes  to  be  right,  so  long 
as  he  is  charitable  enough  to  respect  another  who 
honestly  differs  from  him. 

If  a  person  holds  strange  views  on  some  doc- 
trine, we  ought  not  to  condem  him  because  of  that. 
But  when  such  a  man  believes  that  his  opinion  or 
his  interpretation  of  Scripture  is  absolutely  cor- 
rect, and  that  everybody  else  who  holds  a  different 
view  is  wrong,  then  we  have  a  right  to  believe  that 
he  has  been  tricked  by  the  Devil.  It  often  happens 
that  such  a  person,  in  his  zeal  to  push  his  own  idea 
to  the  front,  will  ride  his  Hobby  to  death.  And 
when  the  Hobby  falls  to  pieces  the  rider  usually 
shares  bitterly  in  the  calamity. 

Suppose  a  person  is  led  to  believe  that  Saturday 
is  the  Scriptural  Sabbath.  We  must  not  be  too 
quick  in  censuring  him  for  holding  such  a  belief, 
so  long  as  he  exercises  charity  toward  those  who 
cannot  look  at  the  subject  as  he  claims  to  see  it. 
Here  is  a  chance  for  Satan  to  do  mischief  by  urg- 
ing a  man  to  violate  the  first  laws  of  Christianity. 


THE  HOBBY  FACTORY.  3^3 

We  have  seen  people  who  held  views  contrary  to 
long  accepted  belief,  pass  judgment  upon  all  Chris- 
tians who  refused  to  accept  their  views.  Thus  they 
placed  themselves  in  a  little  class  by  themselves, 
and  in  an  indirect  manner,  gave  everybody  else, 
who  refused  to  accept  their  views,  a  passport  to  the 
place  outside  of  Heaven. 

Some  of  the  best  people  in  the  world  believe  in 
plain  dress  and  surely  no  objection  should  be  of- 
fered against  any  one  for  having  such  convictions. 
It  must  be  admitted  that  pride  is  choking  out  the 
life  of  many  professing  Christians.  The  person 
who  rides  the  Dress  Hobby,  is  the  one  who  is  more 
proud  of  his  plain  clothing,  than  some  other  per- 
sons may  be  of  their  gaudy  attire.  A  person  can  be 
good  and  do  good  without  boasting  much  about  it. 
We  have  met  people  in  our  lifetime  who  seem  to 
teach  by  their  actions  that  if  others  wear  clothing 
similar  to  theirs  it  will  count  to  them  for  right- 
eousness. A  person  cannot  be  too  earnest  in  work- 
ing for  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  more  zeal  the 
better.  But  a  person  may  do  service  for  Satan  by 
holding  tenaciously  to  extreme  views  on  one  or 
more  of  the  complex  questions  of  theology  or 
Christian  practice.  My  friend,  get  off  your  Hobby, 
which  does  not  mean  that  you  must  change  your 
faith  or  belief,  but  to  remember  that  it  is  possible 
for  you  to  be  too  extreme  in  your  belief. 


214  THE  HOBBY  FACTORY. 

If  we  would  be  like  Paul  and  say  ' '  this  one  thing 
I  do"  and  let  that  one  thing  be  the  lofty  purpose 
which  Paul  had,  then  nobody  could  offer  objection 
if  we  pushed  ahead  with  one  end  in  view.  If  you 
are  in  the  dark  as  to  what  is  meant  by  a  Hobby 
rider,  we  will  inform  you  that  you  may  know  him 
by  the  following : 

1.  He  rides  in  an  awkward  manner,  rocking  all 
over  the  whole  community,  making  considerable 
exertion,  but  scarcely  any  progress. 

2.  He  wears  colored  spectacles. 

3.  He  thinks  everybody  ought  to  ride  the  same 
kind  of  a  Hobby  that  he  does. 

4.  He  has  cotton  in  his  ears,  and  prefers  not  to 
hear  anybody  who  tells  him  to  stop. 

5.  He  looks  toward  the  sky  because  he  cares 
nothing  about  how  many  people  he  may  run  into, 
or  how  many  spiritual  lives  he  may  wreck. 

6.  Very  likely  he  expects  that  some  day  his  Hob- 
by will  be  recognized  as  the  greatest  thing  in  the 
world. 


m 

%** 

I** 


fxmtl^m  iX 


At  a  certain  place  along  the  pathway  of  right- 
eousness there  is  a  bridge  that  crosses  a  dangerous 
stream  called  Temptation.  The  bridge  is  substan- 
tially built  and  will  carry  people  safely  across  the 
stream,  but  aside  from  that  it  has  no  special  fea- 
tures, as  it  is  plainly  constructed,  being  built  for 
service  and  not  for  an  ornament.  It  is  well  known 
that  difficulty  or  death  will  come  to  any  one  who 
falls  into  the  deep,  raging  torrent,  unless  he  should 
be  rescued  by  appealing  to  a  power  stronger  than 
his  own. 

Long,  long  ago,  Satan  saw  the  opportunity  to 
ensnare  souls  at  this  part  of  life's  pathway,  so 
he  built  just  above  the  safe  bridge  several  arched 
bridges  of  Self-Reliance,  each  one  so  narrow  that 
only  one  person  could  cross  at  a  time,  and  even 
then  at  a  great  risk.  He  well  know  that  pilgrims 
would  not  be  foolish  enough  to  risk  such  a  haz- 
ardous crossing  if  there  were  nothing  more  than 
the  bridges  to  invite  them  from  the  straight  path. 
He  overcame  this  difficulty  by  placing  all  manner 


216  PREACHING  AT  THE  BRIDGE. 

of  attractions  around  these  slippery  bridges.  At 
either  end  of  them  are  beautiful  arches  of  shrub- 
bery, and  above  them  are  various  kinds  of  fruit 
hanging  within  reach  of  those  who  are  crossing 
the  bridges.  Also  the  side-path  leading  over  to 
the  bridges  is  most  inviting  and  beautifully  paved, 
and  on  either  side  of  it  are  lawns  of  surpassing 
beauty. 

It  is  quite  a  temptation  when  travelers  come  in 
sight  of  the  plain,  old  bridge  to  see  leading  off  to 
the  left  such  an  inviting  path  and  farther  away 
the  arched  bridges.  In  addition  to  this  they  are 
likely  to  hear  some  well  rendered  music  which 
Satan  is  always  willing  to  provide  so  as  to  help 
attract  travelers  from  the  way  of  truth  and  right- 
eousness. 

It  is  pleasing  to  know  that  with  all  the  attrac- 
tions which  Satan  has  produced,  that  large  num- 
bers are  not  foolish  enough  to  forsake  the  safe 
bridge  and  take  so  great  a  risk.  Those  who  are 
determined  to  pursue  a  straight  course  are  num- 
bered by  the  millions.  The  sad  part  of  the  drama 
consists  in  the  yielding  on  the  part  of  certain  trav- 
elers. Satan  and  his  agents  are  continually  trying 
to  persuade  people  to  cross  the  stream  on  one  or 
another  of  the  slippery  bridges,  by  appealing  to 
their  spirit  of  independence. 


PEEACHING  AT  THE  BEIDGE.        217 


A  SHORT 

SERMON 

TO  A 

YOUNG 

MAN 


There  was  a  young  man  of  strong 
character  who  was  walking  towards 
the  bridge  when  he  was  stopped  by 
a  familiar  voice  at  the  roadside. 

' '  Hold !  hold !  my  young  man,  why 
go  so  rapidly!" 
"I  am  making  haste,  because  I  am  about  my 
father's  business." 

'  *  Why  not  turn  in  here  and  see  the  sights  ? ' ' 
*  *  Because  I  cannot  leave  my  path, ' '  bravely  an- 
swered the  young  man. 

''It  will  do  you  no  harm,"  urged  the  tempter, 
"if  you  turn  aside  for  a  while  to  look  upon  the 
wonderful  scenery  which  is  close  at  hand.  When 
you  have  finished  you  can  cross  the  stream  on 
one  of  the  arched  bridges,  and  while  passing  you 
can  eat  of  the  choice  fruit  overhead.  Thus  shall 
your  mouth  be  satisfied,  and  your  heart  be  made 
glad." 

This  temptation  came  to  the  young  man  at  an 
unfortunate  time.  Ordinarily  he  would  have  been 
strong  enough  to  conquer,  but  at  this  time  he  be- 
came an  easy  prey,  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes 
to  relate  it,  he  was  seen  walking  leisurely  on  the 
beautiful  path  toward  the  slippery  bridges,  his 
step  keeping  time  with  the  Devil's  music.  After 
he  had  tarried  a  while  on  this  forbidden  ground, 


218  PREACHING  AT  THE  BllIDGE. 

there  was  plenty  of  fiends  in  disguise  who  played 
their  part  to  persuade  the  young  man  to  cross  the 
stream  on  one  of  the  dangerous  bridges.  He  was 
urged  to  believe  that  it  would  be  cowardly  to  go 
back  and  cross  in  the  same  old  regular  way.  At 
length  he  placed  his  feet  on  one  of  the  slippery 
bridges  and  thinking  that  his  foothold  was  finn  he 
proceeded  with  less  caution  toward  the  center  of 
the  bridge.  How  could  he  refrain  from  reaching 
forth  and  plucking  some  of  the  luscious  fruit  that 
hung  above  him  in  such  tempting  clusters.  Quick- 
ly as  a  flash  his  feet  slipped  and  he  would  have 
gone  into  the  stream  had  it  not  been  for  the  great 
strength  of  his  arms.  First  he  clung  fast  and  pray- 
ed mightily  unto  his  God  for  help.  Through  re- 
pentance and  faith  he  was  saved,  for  a  great  arm 
of  help  reached  down  and  rescued  him  from  his 
perilous  position.  He  cautiously  crept  to  the  far- 
ther shore  and  ran  to  the  good  old  path  quite  de- 
tennined  that  he  would  try  no  more  to  pass  over 
Temptation  by  depending  on  his  own  strength. 

It  also  chanced  that  a  young  lady 
came  along  the  King's  Highway  and 
seeing  Temptation  ahead  of  her,  she 
resolved  to  go  past  it  on  the  safe 
bridge.    She  had  been  warned  not  to 


A  SHORT 
SERMON 

TO  A 

YOUNG 

LADY 


heed  the  voice  of  the  tempter,  so  as  to  depend  on 


PREACHING  AT  THE  BRIDGE.  219 

a  bridge  of  Self-Reliance.  Notwithstanding  her 
good  resolution,  she  was  at  first  attracted  by  the 
siren  strains  of  music  that  came  from  the  Devil's 
orchestra.  As  she  paused  to  listen,  she  presently 
heard  a  sweet  voice  speaking  to  her.  She  was 
somewhat  fascinated  by  the  creature  who  spoke  to 
her  so  entrancingly  that  she  seemed  to  forget  all 
of  her  past  warnings.  He  spoke  to  her  about  the 
gloiy  of  Self-Reliance,  and  tried  to  persuade  her 
that  such  a  bridge  was  not  only  beautiful,  but  ab- 
solutely safe.  In  one  of  her  thoughtful  moments, 
when  her  eyes  were  truly  open  to  the  real  situa- 
tion she  was  emboldened  to  ask : 

''How  can  you  engage  in  this  kind  of  work?  Is 
it  a  source  of  pleasure  to  entice  people  toward 
danger  and  death?" 

The  Tempter  was  not  expecting  such  a  question, 
but  he  was  quickly  ready  with  an  answer. 

''Ah!  it  is  plainly  evident,  my  young  friend, 
that  you  have  been  grossly  misinformed.  A  per- 
son of  5*our  intelligence  ought  not  to  be  so  easily 
deceived.  We  find  pleasure  in  our  work,  not  be- 
cause it  leads  people  to  danger  and  death  but  be- 
cause we  are  teaching  the  noble  qualities  of  inde- 
pendence and  self -culture.  One  of  these  narrow 
bridges  will  prove  to  be  a  perfect  training  school 
to  you.    Come  and  prove  my  words." 


220  PREACHING  AT  THE  BRIDGE. 

''But  why  should  I  risk  so  narrow  a  passage 
when  the  good  old  bridge  promises  to  carry  me 
over  safely!" 

"My  dear  young  friend,  how  can  it  be  that  you 
are  so  long  in  grasping  the  truth.  It  is  plainly 
evident  that  the  old-fashioned  bridge  is  built  for 
the  accommodation  of  aged  people  or  religious 
cranks,  and  a  certain  few  that  are  so  sanctimonious 
that  nothing  but  the  plain  old  way  will  suit  them. 
But  look  at  yourself,  you  are  young,  sprightly  and 
sure-footed.  There  is  joy  in  the  very  experience 
of  crossing  such  a  bridge,  and  some  do  it  so  easily 
that  they  can  at  the  same  time  look  upon  the  rich 
foliage  around  and  lift  their  hands  to  pluck  the  de- 
licious fruits  that  hang  overhead.  In  truth,  the 
main  reason  why  so  many  travel  over  these 
bridges,  is  because  this  is  the  most  fashionable 
route.  The  sweet  fruits  tickle  the  palate,  and  the 
fragrant  flowers  give  charm  to  the  senses." 

After  this  manner  the  devilish  agents  argued  for 
the  space  of  an  hour,  until  the  young  lady,  under 
the  spell  of  a  second  blindness,  was  persuaded  to 
make  an  attempt  at  crossing  on  one  of  the  bridges. 
She  at  first  placed  her  foot  shyly  and  when  she 
found  that  instead  of  being  slippery  the  bridge 
was  sanded,  she  ventured  with  more  confidence. 
Before  she  was  half  way  across  she  lifted  her  eyes 


PREACHING  AT  THE  BRIDGE.  221 

and  her  hands  toward  the  tempting  fruits  over- 
head. About  this  time,  her  feet  having  reached 
one  of  the  treacherous  places,  slipped  and  she  sud- 
denly fell  helplessly  into  the  stream.  Her  piteous 
cries  rent  the  air  and  after  a  long,  terrible  strug- 
gle she  was  snatched  from  the  jaws  of  death  by 
reason  of  her  earnest  confession,  repentance  and 
faith. 

Not  all  who  thus  go  down  are  happily  rescued. 
The  flood-tide  of  Temptation  has  swept  and  is 
sweeping  large  numbers  into  a  terrible  death. 

It  would  be  a  tale  too  long  to  relate  if  one  were 
to  report 'all  the  deathly  sermons  preached  at  this 
bridge.  The  most  noticeable  feature  is  the  per- 
sistency with  which  Satan  and  his  agents  plead 
with  a  soul  in  order  that  he  might  win  a  convert 
for  Hell.  This  indeed  is  a  strong  rebuke  to  the 
workers  of  righteousness  who  often  think  it  too 
delicate  a  matter  to  si3eak  face  to  face  to  a  person 
concerning  the  most  important  things  of  life. 

All  along  the  King's  Highway  there  are  paths 
leading  off  to  the  slipperj^  bridges  of  Temptation. 
Some  manage  to  travel  over  one  or  more  of  these 
places  without  any  visible  harm  befalling  them. 
This  favorable  outcome  seems  to  open  the  way  for 
a  greater  risk  and  it  has  always  come  out  true  that 
every  person  who  continues  on  the  border  line  of 


(14) 


222  PREACHING  AT  THE  BRIDGE. 

Temptation  will  finally  fall  to  his  hurt  or  his 
death.  There  is  only  one  safe  way.  When  you 
come  to  the  places  of  Temptation  pass  over  them 
on  the  safe  bridge  of  hope,  trust  and  prayer  cou- 
pled with  your  good  works. 


.Satan  has  built  three  slippehy  bridges  over  the  Stream  of 
Temptation,  and  by  an  orchestra  he  hopes  to  attract 

TRAVELERS   TOWARD  THEM   FROM   THE  KiNG's    HIGHWAY. 


The  devil  in  the  sleeping  ciiukch 

OR 

The  spiritual  condition  of  some  congregations. 


r 


rt«M 


^tsh  Not  l^rmd) 


There  are  some  places  where  the  Devil  need  do 
no  more  preaching.  He  has  succeeded  in  getting 
the  souls  of  the  people  asleep,  so  that  they  are  dead 
as  far  as  real  spiritual  life  is  concerned.  Accord- 
ing to  Satan's  estimate,  such  a  church  is  safe  only 
in  the  hands  of  preachers  who  know  nothing  about 
experimeiital  religion.  If  ever  the  Devil  takes  it 
easy,  it  is  when  he  gets  into  a  church  of  this  kind. 
But  while  he  rejoices  at  such  a  time,  he  is  soon 
brought  to  his  sober  senses  when  he  reflects  on  the 
condition  of  many  of  the  other  churches,  where  he 
has  failed  to  gain  his  point. 

It  is  no  easy  task  to  put  a  whole  church  asleep. 
The  hardest  battle  begins  when  the  majority  of  the 
members  are  becoming  dead.  The  faithful  minor- 
ity, seeing  the  trend  of  affairs,  is  likely  to  stir 
themselves  to  greater  vigilance  than  ever  in  the 
hope  of  reviving  the  church  to  its  old-time  life  and 
energ^^  Then  comes,  in  all  probability,  the  great 
battle.  The  worldly  element,  being  in  the  majority, 
will  likely  work  all  manner  of  schemes  to  drive  out 
the  annoying  minority.     Many  a  man  has  been 


226         WHERE  THE  DEVIL  NEED  NOT  PREACH. 

driven  out  of  the  church  just  because  he  had  too 
much  of  the  spirit  of  God  in  liim.  It  is  also  true 
that  many  a  man  drives  himself  out  of  the  church 
by  his  own  contrary  spirit.  It  is  not  this  class  to 
which  we  make  reference. 

It  has  happened  in  altogether  too  many  cases 
that  the  worldly  element  has  won  in  the  contest, 
and  consequently,  the  little  life  that  is  left  is  easily 
choked  out.  As  you  study  the  spiritual  status  of 
such  a  congregation,  you  will  find  that  the  condi- 
tion is  quite  similar  to  that  which  is  pictured  in 
the  illustration  accompanying  this  chapter. 

Look  for  a  moment  at  the  picture  and  see  how 
the  minister  has  dropped  down  into  a  dead  slum- 
ber. His  spiritual  condition  is  very  well  suited  to 
his  congregation,  who  are  all  spiritually  dead. 
Everything  else  about  this  church  presents  an  at- 
tractive appearance.  Both  the  interior  and  the  ex- 
terior are  of  modern  design,  and  the  design  is  sym- 
metrical. The  only  dark  feature  is  that  which  can 
be  seen  on  the  picture.  The  members  of  the  con- 
gregation are  void  of  spiritual  life  and  are  dead 
to  that  powerful  current  of  spiritual  impulse  that 
should  fill  and  thrill  every  congregation. 

One  creature  above  all  the  rest  is  thoroughly  sat- 
isfied with  this  sad  condition.  You  can  see  as  you 
scan  the  picture  that  Satan  occupies  a  leaning  seat 


WIIEIIE  THE  DEVIL  NEED  NOT  PMACS.        227 

near  the  pulpit,  with  his  feet  thrown  over  the  sa- 
cred altar,  and  his  head  cast  backward  in  the  full 
enjoyment  of  a  good  cigar.  There  is  a  fiendish 
smile  playing  upon  his  face  as  he  watches  the 
smoke  curling  above  his  head,  until  it  touches  the 
ceiling  of  the  large  church.  You  will  find  a  differ- 
ent attitude  to  Satan  if  you  were  to  see  him  in  a 
spiritual  congregation.  Here  he  takes  no  time  to 
smoke  cigars,  but  he  is  the  busiest  man  in  the 
crowd,  ever  trying  to  stir  up  discord  or  engender 
strife  among  the  church  people.  Satan  is  power- 
less when  he  comes  in  contact  with  an  earnest 
Christian,  one  who  is  watchful  and  prayerful 
every  day.  Against  the  weapons  of  such  a  man 
Satan  cannot  advance,  but  is  compelled  to  suffer 
defeat. 

A^Tiat  kind  of  an  earthquake  would  it  take  to 
bring  a  sleeping  church  back  to  life!  We  cannot 
answer  this  question.  It  is  a  problem  too  difficult 
for  solution.  All  we  need  to  say  to  such  a  church, 
after  it  has  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  all  the  words  of 
warning,  is  this:  ^* Sleep  on  and  take  thy  rest." 
Or  we  might  address  it  in  the  language  of  that  ear- 
nest writer:  ''Awake  thou  that  sleepest."  The 
time  will  come  when  those  who  are  not  awake  will 
be  cast  into  outer  darkness  where  there  will  be 
weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 


Satan's  Song  to  Encourage  Idleness  and  Indifference. 

*'In  life,  my  friend,  as  you  pass  along, 
You  need  not  grieve  if  things  go  wrong. 
Sit  down  in  peace  and  sing  a  song 
Till  all  comes  right." 

* '  You  've  heard  it  said,  '  Go  and  do  your  best 
Till  life 's  sun  sinks  into  the  West, ' 
'Tis  better  far  to  take  a  rest 

Till  all  comes  right.'* 

*'If  you  are  troubled  with  some  belief. 
Or  feel  the  pangs  of  coming  grief, 
The  winds  and  waves  will  bring  relief 
Till  all  comes  right." 

'  *  Instead  of  climbing  a  craggy  cliff. 
Or  sailing  in  some  dangerous  skiff, 
Just  lie  and  breathe  with  easy  sniff 
Till  all  comes  right." 

''^Taen  things  go  rough  and  you're  in  a  squeeze. 
Just  hold  your  breath  and  take  your  ease. 
Doing  the  very  things  you  please, 
Till  all  comes  right." 


TILL  ALL  COMES  RIGHT.  229 

''Be  not  deceived  by  the  toiler's  thrift, 
Get  what  you  can,  as  nature's  gift, 
Let  all  things  take  an  easy  drift 
Till  all  comes  right." 

**  Rewards  all  come  in  the  present  slice, 
Don't  look  for  future  Paradise, 
Take  Heaven  now,  is  my  advice. 
And  you  will  be  right. 

''Throw  to  the  winds  all  belief  in  Hell, 
Be  called  a  fool,  or  infidel. 
Bury  your  creeds  in  an  oyster  shell, 
Then  you  are  right.'* 


%:^^ 


A  certain  young  man 
who  was  serving  the 
King  of  Righteousness,  was  very  liberally  re- 
warded with  many  gems  of  value.  These  he 
prized  very  highly,  and  as  he  went  from  place 
to  place  he  exhibited  the  diamonds  and  especially 
the  Pearl  of  great  price.  He  fervently  preached  to 
all  he  met  the  manner  in  which  he  obtained  these 
riches,  and  many,  to  their  great  joy,  were  influ- 
enced to  accept  the  same  kind  of  valuables. 

One  day  the  enemy  of  souls  approached  the 
young  man,  and  being  disguised,  he  occasioned  no 
alarm. 

**I  have  heard  it  said  that  you  are  in  possession 
of  great  riches.    Is  the  report  true?" 

The  young  man  turned  toward  the  questioner, 
and  innocently  told  him  that  tlie  report  was  true 
and  that  even  now  he  was  in  possession  of  the 
precious  gems. 

''Where  did  you  gain  possession  of  your  highly 
esteemed  gifts?"  further  asked  the  Evil  One,  in  a 
manner  bordering  upon  indifference. 


fWO  I^NDS  OF  RICHES.  231 

*  *  These  I  obtained  from  the  King  of  Righteous- 
ness, and  they  are  better  than  all  the  riches  of  the 
world  combined,"  calmly  and  boldly  affirmed  the 
young  man. 

'^What  a  dupe  you  are  to  believe 
such  nonsense.  If  you  take  pleasure 
in  seeing  things  of  great  worth,  let 
me  show  you  a  few  specimens  just 
taken  from  my  burglar-proof  vault." 


SATAN 

PREACHES 

A   SHORT 

SERMON 


At  this  the  Devil  laid  bare  a  few  shining,  but 
worthless  articles,  which  appeared  like  gold. 
''These  are  of  special  value,"  continued  the  fiend, 
"and  if  I  could  persuade  you  to  make  an  exchange 
you  would  be  one  of  the  wealthiest  young  men  in 
all  these  regions." 

The  young  man,  after  a  moment 's  reflection,  de- 
cided not  to  accept  any  of  the  offered  articles. 
Then  the  Black  Agent  told  him  in  earnestness,  that 
if  he  would  make  an  exchange,  he  would  receive  ex- 
tra a  free  ticket  entitling  him  to  enter  a  feast  of 
worldly  pleasure,  adapted  especially  for  a  Chris- 
tian man.  The  enemy  noticed  that  he  had  touched 
the  young  man's  heart,  for  he  was  beginning  to 
ask  questions. 

"If  I  should  decide  to  accept  your  generous  of- 
fer, when  would  the  exchange  be  made?" 

''All  you  need  to  do  is  to  empty  your  possessions 


THE  DREAM 

OF  THE 

JUDGMENT 

BALANCE 


232  TWO  KINDS  OF  RICHES. 

upon  my  table,  and  at  once  these  valuables  will  be 
yours." 

The  young  man  reflected  for  a  moment,  and  then, 
as  if  blind,  he  took  the  real  valuables  from  his 
pockets,  and  threw  them  upon  the  table.  At  once 
he  received  in  exchange  something  worse  than 
wood,  and  as  light  as  feathers.  He  also  accepted 
the  free  ticket  with  a  thankful  heart. 

One  night,  a  short  time  after  this, 
the  young  man  dreamed,  and  in  his 
dream  he  saw  a  man  that  looked  like 
himself.  He  beheld  this  person  as 
he  traveled  upon  a  broad  path  and 
noticed  that  he  had  the  same  kind  of  possessions 
that  had  been  given  to  him  by  the  Devil.  He  fas- 
tened his  eyes  upon  the  man  even  until  he  came 
to  a  place  where  he  was  asked  to  place  his  posses- 
sions upon  the  judgment  balance.  A  moment  later 
a  sad  verdict  was  heard:  "Thou  art  weighed  in 
the  balances,  and  art  found  wanting." 

The  dream  had  a  wonderful  effect  on  the  young 
man.  He  gazed  upon  his  worthless  possessions 
and  refused  to  listen  any  further  to  the  voice  of 
the  Tempter,  but  rather  chose  to  obey  the  voice  of 
a  true  friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother. 

''Cast  away  all  your  worthless  trash,"  came  a 
voice  from  some  unseen  source. 


f  wo  KINDS  OF  ftlCHEg.  ^33 

The  young  man  went  to  prayer,  and  when  he 
surrendered  all  he  had,  the  loving  Master  gave  un- 
to him  another  consignment  of  imperishable  dia- 
monds, in  connection  with  the  Pearl  of  great  price. 
With  this  endowment  he  was  gloriously  happy, 
and  he  succeeded  in  overcoming  the  wretched  ene- 
my who  sought  time  after  time  to  deceive  him. 

After  this  same  manner  Satan  is  endeavoring  to 
deceive  every  young  man  and  woman  who  comes 
into  possession  of  the  true  kind  of  riches.  Is  it 
not  proper  to  keep  on  the  lookout  for  such  an 
enemy  lest  he  should  steal  upon  us  unawares  in 
some  false  garb?  Let  no  one  be  so  foolish  as  to 
throw  aside  the  Pearl  of  great  price,  and  the  per- 
fect gems  of  truth,  for  the  worthless  trash  that 
Satan  offers  in  exchange  for  them. 


Preached  to  a  Man  who  had  an  Inquiring  Mind,  but  who 
was  Inclined  Toward  Atheism. 

*'I  am  glad  to  see,  my  friend,  that  you  are  in- 
terested in  a  subject  of  extraordinary  interest. 
Your  inquiring  mind  naturally  looks  for  evidence 
before  you  can  believe.  You  are  indeed  wiser  than 
the  great  majority  of  mankind  who  accept  any  be- 
lief just  because  it  was  endorsed  by  their  fore- 
fathers. This  accounts  for  the  large  number  of 
X)eople  in  the  world  who  are  looking  upward  to  an 
unseen  God.  Is  it  not  strange  that  so  large  a  part 
of  the  human  family  should  be  so  deceived! 
Therefore  I  feel  the  more  like  congratulating  you 
because  of  your  tendency  toward  original  investi- 
gation. ' ' 

''The  God  on  whom  Christians  falsely  depend  is 
said  to  be  mighty  in  power  and  perfect  in  wisdom, 
love,  mercy  and  goodness.  If  God  were  perfect  in 
love,  and  power,  how  could  he  permit  what  he 
does?  With  these  great  gifts,  he  could  order 
everything  to  his  own  choosing,  and  we  would  not 


SATAN  ON  ATHEISM.  235 

see  SO  much  suffering  in  this  world.  The  very  fact 
that  a  helpless,  innocent  child  must  suffer  some- 
times untold  pain,  and  a  loving  mother  must  en- 
dure such  endless  privations  and  hardships,  are 
sufficient  to  prove  that  love  does  not  rule  in  the 
affairs  of  the  world.  If  love  were  at  the  helm,  the 
farmer  would  not  be  compelled  to  contend  with  all 
manner  of  enemies  when  he  is  laboring  to  raise 
useful  products.  Every  good  seed  that  he  puts 
into  the  ground  is  almost  sure  to  be  opposed  by 
some  insect  or  parasite  that  seeks  its  ruin. ' ' 

"As  you  look  over  the  whole  field  of  nature  you 
find  that  the  vegetable  creation  is  cursed  by  a 
brood  of  bugs  and  worms,  too  numerous  to  men- 
tion. How  could  all  this  be  the  outgrowth  of  per- 
fect love?  If  you  love  a  person  your  whole  aim 
is  to  make  it  as  easy  and  comfortable  as  possible 
for  him  to  make  a  living.  The  lover  does  not  take 
pleasure  in  heaping  burdens  on  his  beloved. ' ' 

"Then  look  at  the  long  line  of  catastrophes  and 
wrecks  on  sea  and  land,  by  which  thousands  of  in- 
nocent creatures  are  hurled  into  a  terrible  death, 
without  an  hour's  warning.  Surely  a  person  can- 
not call  this  the  result  of  perfect  love  in  the  world. 
One  of  the  strangest  things  about  Christianity  is 
that  its  believers  teach  that  Christ  so  loved  thf> 
world  that  he  died  to  save  it,  and  then  at  the  same 


236  SATAN  ON  ATHEISM. 

time  they  seem  to  believe  that  he  so  hates  the  world 
as  to  permit  all  manner  of  misery  and  woe  to 
come  upon  his  people." 

'  *  No  doubt  you  have  often  studied  the  laws  that 
govern  the  winds  and  the  waves.  If  a  mad  cyclone 
should  dash  you  to  pieces,  do  you  think  that  even 
then  you  would  be  in  the  hollow  of  the  hand  of 
this  imaginary  God?  It  must  indeed  be  a  loving 
God  who  will  hurl  a  cyclone  across  the  beautiful 
land  of  his  own  making,  or  destroy  the  human  lives 
of  thousands  which  he  is  supposed  to  love.  Ah! 
my  friend,  you  are  indeed  too  wise  to  accept  such 
a  doctrine.  It  is  better  for  you  to  stand  alone  in 
your  belief,  than  to  be  so  unreasonable  as  to  accept 
such  views  of  an  unseen  Creator." 

''If  God  is  perfect  in  power  and  wisdom,  why 
does  he  not  extirpate  from  the  ranks  of  human 
habitation  the  horrors  of  leprosy,  burning  fevers, 
and  anything  else  that  sends  its  withering  blasts 
over  certain  parts  of  the  Earth?  One  might  ex- 
cuse a  person  for  believing  in  the  necessity  of  a 
limited  suffering  for  human  beings,  but  the  whole 
argument  comes  to  an  end  when  jon  think  about 
the  suffering  of  the  brute  creation.  What  has  the 
brute  done  that  he  should  be  punished  by  priva- 
tions and  sufferings  too  numerous  to  mention? 
How  is  it  possible  to  account  for  this  suffering  in 
the  light  of  perfect  love  ? ' ' 


SATAN  ON  ATHEISM.  237 

"You  have  often  looked  at  the  general  condition 
of  affairs.  No  doubt  you  have  seen  a  chicken  hawk 
descending  without  mercy  and  robbing  the  hen  of 
her  beloved  offspring,  or  you  have  heard  about  the 
mink  or  the  weasel,  the  meanest  of  all  created 
pests,  slyly  creeping  to  a  chicken  coop  at  night, 
and  killing  a  dozen  or  more  useful  fowls,  all  for 
the  mere  sake  of  iSlling  his  stomach  with  their  own 
life  blood.  A  loving  God  would  kill  every  mink 
and  weasel  in  the  world,  as  well  as  paralyze  the 
arm  of  every  base  fellow  who  forces  his  assault 
upon  some  innocent  child  along  the  highway. ' ' 

' '  Now,  my  friend,  I  ask  you  to  meditate  on  these 
things  which  I  have  presented  to  your  mind.  When 
you  have  thoroughly  digested  them,  I  will  see  you 
again  and  present  some  of  the  more  advanced  ar- 
guments to  prove  that  there  is  no  God." 


X 


Olalk  on  AtljrtBm 


If  each  person  was  as  thoroughly  convinced  of 
the  existence  of  God  as  Satan,  there  would  be  no 
Atheists  in  the  world.  The  Devil  knows  what 
power  it  was  that  cast  him  out  of  Heaven,  and  be- 
fore whose  power  he  trembles  even  to-day.  The 
great  fact  of  the  existence  of  God,  is  the  one  grind- 
ing truth  that  ever  adds  misery  upon  misery  to 


238  SATAN  ON  ATHEISM. 

Satan,  and  which  destroys  his  ambition  of  ulti- 
mately ruling  in  Heaven  and  Hell  combined. 

Satan  knows  very  well  the  best  ways  to  deceive 
people,  the  majority  of  whom  look  no  further  than 
the  mere  surface  of  things,  and  then  jump  at  con- 
clusions. The  Devil  takes  advantage  of  this  con- 
dition and  by  dishonest  reasoning,  he  leads  people 
into  errors  of  the  worst  type. 

The  evidences  of  God's  existence  are  clear 
enough  to  satisfy  any  reasonable  mind,  even  if 
there  were  no  Bible.  It  can  be  seen  from  nature 
alone  that  a  supreme  intelligence  is  ruling  over  all, 
and  that  he  possesses  the  attributes  of  infinite 
power  and  perfect  love.  Satan  falsely  argues  that 
if  God  possesses  such  power  that  he  would  crush 
out  all  the  evil  in  the  world,  which  seems  to  be  a 
fair  conclusion  to  a  person  who  will  not  or  cannot 
reason.  To  such  a  one,  permit  us  to  say,  that  God, 
in  his  wisdom,  has  so  arranged  things  that  every- 
body who  serves  Him  must  do  so  through  choice. 
One  of  the  greatest  gifts  ever  bestowed  upon  man 
is  his  free  moral  agency,  which  means  his  power 
to  do  good  against  the  wish  of  the  Devil,  or  to  do 
evil  against  the  will  of  God.  '  This  tremendous 
force  would  be  of  no  value  whatever  if  God  would 
make  it  impossible  for  man  to  sin.  Wliat  virtue 
would  there  be  in  goodness  if  a  person  could  not 


SATAN  ON  ATHEISM.  339 

be  otherwise.  A  man  would  then  be  like  a  ma- 
chine, moving  at  the  will  of  the  operator.  Under 
the  present  management  a  man  chooses  for  himself 
whom  he  will  serve,  and  we  will  venture  the  asser- 
tion that  one  who  breaks  away  from  sin,  and 
pushes  his  way  up  toward  the  throne  of  Heaven, 
is  worth  more  than  a  hundred  Adams  living  in 
the  Garden  of  Eden,  providing  there  were  no  pos- 
sibility for  them  to  sin. 

When  we  can  once  accept  the  fact  of  man's  free 
moral  agency,  then  the  way  is  opened  to  grasp  the 
more  mysterious  truths  concerning  the  presence 
of  sin  iir  the  world.  It  is  through  sin  that  all  the 
pain,  misery  and  wretchedness  came  into  this 
world.  If  God  had  made  no  provision  for  man  to 
conquer  sin,  and  its  consequences,  it  might  seem  as 
if  lie  wore  unkind,  but  since  He  has  made  ample 
provision  for  us  to  overcome  sin,  we  are  led  to 
see  his  glory  in  a  brighter  light  than  ever.  The 
highest  manifestation  of  his  love  is  seen  as  we  con- 
template the  manner  in  which  he  bridges  the  chasm 
between  spiritual  life  and  death. 

Concerning  accidents,  we  would  say  that  no  man 
of  fair  judgment  will  try  to  account  for  each  de- 
tail of  every  accident.  The  reason  for  this  is  that 
we  canfiot  see  the  end  from  the  beginning  nor  the 
beginning  from  the  end.    Who  knows  how  many 


(15) 


1^40 


SATAN  ON  ATHEISM. 


hidden  mysteries,  how  much  retribution,  or  how 
many  new  lessons  are  given  to  humanity  by  every 
shocking  accident  in  the  world.  It  is  presumptu- 
ous that  we  who  look  upon  the  mere  surface,  should 
be  shallow  enough  to  criticise  the  infinite  mind  who 
penetrates  the  ages  past,  discerns  the  passing 
events  and  foresees  the  future.  Suppose  a  father 
is  suddenly  taken  from  a  large  family  for  whom 
he  has  made  no  provision  in  advance  of  his  death, 
we  must  not  be  shallow  enough  to  judge  the  whole 
event  in  the  little  light  of  the  present  time.  There 
is  a  flood-light  coming  down  to  us  from  the  past, 
and  a  reflex  light  from  the  years  to  come,  that  give 
more  explanation  to  the  matters  of  Providence 
than  all  else  in  the  world.  Things  do  not  happen 
because  God  foreknows  them,  but  God  foreknows 
them  because  they  are  going  to  happen,  and  the 
reason  why  they  are  going  to  happen  is  largely 
found  in  the  mighty  will  power  of  man  exercised 
either  for  good  or  evil. 

Concerning  the  enemies  of  the  animal  creation, 
such  as  the  mink  or  the  weasel  which  Satan  men- 
tions, it  hardly  seems  necessary  that  any  rebuttal 
should  be  offered.  The  whole  family  of  parasites, 
from  the  louse  on  a  child's  head,  to  the  weasel,  are 
living  and  thriving  on  this  globe  as  the  conse- 
quence of  sin.    They  all  play  their  part  to  make 


SATAN  ON  ATHEISM.  241 

man  pay  the  penalty  pronounced  by  God  that  he 
must  earn  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow. 
Man  who  made  out  of  Heaven  d  Hell  by  his  dis- 
obedience in  Eden,  must  learn,  by  working  hard, 
to  make  a  Heaven  out  of  Hell.  Things  have  been 
so  arranged  that  it  is  possible  for  man  to  fight  his 
several  thousand  enemies  and  yet  gain  a  livelihood, 
and  win  for  himself  an  imperishable  gift  and  lay 
up  treasures  in  Heaven. 

If  one  looks  on  the  other  side  of  the  question  and 
sees  what  unmatched  wisdom  is  displayed  in  everj' 
part  of  creation,  he  will  see  very  clearly  the  evi- 
dences of  God  all  around  him.  Looking  at  nature 
through  a  microscope,  we  see  great  wonders  con- 
fined to  small  areas,  and  a  perfect  adjustment  of 
means  to  end.  Looking  at  nature  through  a  tele- 
scope we  see  the  larger  things  of  creation  more 
plainly,  and  we  are  thrilled  with  sublimity  as  the 
great  truth  dawns  upon  us  that  there  is  no  end  to 
created  worlds,  and  that  the  millions  of  spheres 
are  hanging  upon  nothing  but  the  one  power  which 
is  greater  than  them  all.  Each  one  of  these  great 
orbs  is  moving  with  an  accuracy  that  wins  the 
highest  admiration  of  man  and  shows  forth  the 
unbounded  and  unfailing  resources  of  Him  who 
made  all  things.  Here  we  have  before  us  an  end- 
less field  of  study.    Look  away  from  the  worlds 


242  SATAN  ON  ATHEISM. 

of  space,  we  find  that  the  human  body  alone  is  so 
wonderful  that  the  most  searching  scientists  or 
philosophers  cannot  comprehend  the  mysteries  of 
this  living  organism.  Such  conditions  tell  us,  in 
mute  eloquence,  of  the  great  Creator.  There  are 
over  seven  hundred  evidences  of  superior  wisdom 
in  the  human  body  alone.  It  is  truly  a  wonderful, 
self-oiling,  self-appropriating  machine  which  can 
run  for  seventy  years  or  more  if  you  throw  enough 
coal  into  the  furnace  (food  into  the  stomach)  to 
keep  it  in  power. 

So  much  for  the  human  body;  but  how  vastly  su- 
perior is  the  intricate  network  of  the  brain.  No 
one  has  yet  offered  a  satisfactory  explanation  of 
the  manner  in  which  mind  works  on  matter  or 
matter  works  on  mind.  Here  is  a  shoreless  ocean 
on  which  no  Columbus  ever  embarked. 

The  Atheist  must  be  blind  to  the  millions  of 
facts  that  are  crowding  upon  his  mind  from  the 
world  of  matter  and  the  world  of  mind.  These 
point  to  a  force  which  is  superior  to  Creation,  and 
to  admit  the  existence  of  such  a  power  is  the  most 
reasonable  thing  that  a  rational  man  can  do.  Athe- 
ism and  true  culture  cannot  join  arms.  They  are 
opposites  forever,  or  until  the  harmony  of  the 
spheres  can  be  explained  on  some  other  basis  than 
the  existence  of  a  supreme  intelligence. 


SATAN  ON  ATHEISM.  243 

It  must  not  be  denied  that  there  is  a  true  God 
whose  character  is  laid  open  to  our  view  in  the 
book  of  revelation  called  the  Bible.  They  who  be- 
lieve and  serve  Him  will  some  day  have  the  priv- 
ilege of  studying  in  the  greater  school  beyond  this 
life.  But  they  who  reject  Him  will  suffer  the  con- 
sequences of  their  own  folly,  and  tast©  the  fruit  of 
their  own  making. 


mmmm 

A  Short  Sermon  by  Satan  Delivered  to  Graduates  of  the 
Theological  Seminary. 

*'Let  me  give  you  some  twentieth  century  light 
on  the  vital  question  of  Heaven  and  Hell.  You 
are  now  in  a  fit  condition  to  receive  advanced 
truths,  for  you  have  finished  your  seminary  train- 
ing and  are  able  to  reason  logically.  Congratula- 
tions to  you  on  your  attainments.  Nothing  is  so 
refreshing  as  to  meet  a  broadminded  man,  espec- 
ially one  who  expects  to  work  in  the  capacity  of  a 
public  teacher. 

**You  are  now  able  to  understand  the  difference 
between  the  figurative  and  literal  language  of  the 
Bible,  and  since  you  are  able  to  grasp  divine 
truths  with  more  facility,  you  must  be  careful  that 
you  do  not  despise  the  old  fathers  of  the  church, 
who  half  a  century  ago  earnestly  preached  their 
views,  even  though  they  hit  wide  of  the  mark." 

' '  Let  it  be  said  to  the  credit  of  the  old-time  theo- 
logians that  they  preached  straight  to  the  point 
on  the  subject  of  Heaven.    And  indeed  when  talk- 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL.  245 

ing  on  this  subject,  they  had  ample  material  to 
engage  their  most  talented  powers,  for  Ho  preach- 
er could  possibly  exaggerate  the  infinite  degrees 
of  glory  and  the  unparalleled  beauties  of  Heaven. 
It  seems  almost  incredible  that  these  same  minis- 
ters should  have  gone  so  far  from  the  truth  in 
their  consideration  of  Hell.  Although  they  have 
preached  some  ridiculous  views,  it  is  now  your 
duty  to  correct  as  far  as  possible  the  mistakes  of 
the  past  centuries,  and  place  this  subject  in  a  clear 
light  before  the  people  of  the  present  day.  I  will 
give  you  a  few  things  to  remember,  so  that  you 
can  hold  to  the  truth  more  readily: 

1.  "Do  not  deny  the  existence  of  Hell,  only  be 
careful  to  tell  people  that  it  means  the  grave,  and, 
in  some  cases,  the  word  refers  to  the  destruction 
of  the  body  and  soul  after  death." 

2.  "Be  sure  to  spare  the  human  mind  the  harsh 
conception  of  fire  and  brimstone.  Tell  them  that 
such  figures  of  speech  were  intended  for  a  more 
illiterate  age.  The  better  way  wouM  be  to  keep 
silent  altogether  on  such  rude  passages  unless  you 
are  questioned  concerning  them." 

3.  "Since  you  are  now  able  to  discern  between 
the  genuine  scriptures  and  the  parts  that  have  a 
doubtful  origin,  you  can  easily  throw  aside  many 
of  the  distorting  passages,  and  thus  show  that  the 
modern  views  of  Hell  are  Scriptural. ' ' 


^46  HEAVEN  AND  HELL. 

4.  ' '  You  have  also  learned  that  the  doctrines  of 
the  love  of  God  would  require  your  whole  life 
time  to  preach,  Wliy  spend  time  in  unfolding 
such  blood-curdling  tales  as  the  ''Rich  Man  and 
Lazarus, ' '  a  story  unfit  for  children  and  women  to 
read. ' ' 


1.  Satan  forgot  to  say  that  the  passages  of 
Scripture  that  refer  to  punishment  in  Hell  are  as 
clearly  stated  as  the  passages  that  refer  to  the  en- 
joyments of  Heaven.  It  is  therefore  impossible 
to  throw  aside  one  class  of  passages  without  cast- 
ing aside  the  other  class. 

2.  Satan  forgot  to  mention  that  the  old  time 
preaching  of  the  terrors  of  Hell  and  the  glories  of 
Heaven  brought  a  larger  percentage  of  the  people 
to  Christ  than  the  modem,  exclusive  preaching  of 
God's  love. 

3.  Satan  knows  that  if  the  opinions  of  the  age 
do  not  change  that  there  will  be  less  people  fleeing 
from  the  wrath  to  come.  Many  are  comforting 
themselves  by  the  happy  thought  that  all  people 
will  be  finally  saved  except  a  very  few  who  ulti- 
mately refuse  all  offers  of  mercy. 


An  Essay  Delivered  to  the  Devil  and  his  Cabinet  by  a 
Theological  Specialist  in  the  Employ  of  the  Devil. 

*'I  appreciate  very  much  this  opportunity  of 
presenting  to  you  some  views  and  suggestions  on 
the  subject  of  preaching.  You  are  all  aware  that  I 
have  been  engaged  for  a  long  period  in  studying 
and  investigating  the  pulpit  work  of  ministers. 
Perhaps  it  is  for  this  reason  that  I  am  favored 
now  with  the  honor  of  addressing  you.  I  have 
carefully  observed  the  methods  of  the  most  talent- 
ed clergymen,  and  I  have  noted  the  elements  of 
preaching  that  are  most  effective  against  our  work. 
I  shall  endeavor  to  give  you  the  benefit  of  my  long 
experience,  in  the  hope  that  you  may  be  inspired 
to  operate  along  some  new  and  more  efficient 
lines. ' ' 

'^You  will  all  agree  with  me  that  things  are 
drifting  in  the  right  direction,  but  there  are  still 
some  serious  hindrances  to  our  work.  These,  I  am 
quite  sure,  we  can  partly  overcome,  if  we  all  work 
unitedly  on  some  general  plan,  the  outlines  of 
which  I  shall  present  to  you  to  the  best  of  my  abil- 
ity in  eight  distinct  lines  of  thought. ' ' 


248 


SERMONS  ON  PREACHING. 


'^You  will  agree  with  me  that 
things  are  drifting  in  the  right 
direction,  but  there  are  still  some 
serious  hindrances  to  our  work. 
These,  I  am  quite  sure,  we  can 
partly  overcome,  if  we  all  work 
unitedly  on  some  general  plan, 
the  outlines  of  which  I  shall  pre- 
sent to  you  to  the  best  of  my  abil- 
ity in  eight  distinct  lines  of 
thought. ' ' 

1.  "Let  us  advocate  shorter 
sermons." 

"If  we  keep  hammering  away 
at  this  modern  idea  we  are  sure 
of  being  well  paid  for  our  work. 
No  matter  how  short  a  sermon  is, 
we  can  work  to  make  it  still 
shorter.  It  is  best  to  urge  that  a 
minister  of  genuine  intelligence 
need  not  take  a  half  hour  or  more 
to  express  his  views  on  a  given 
subject,  since  he  speaks  so  often 
to  the  same  congregation.  The 
smarter  he  is  the  less  time  he  will 
require,  and  the  less  intelligent  he 
is  the  more  time  he  will  require. 
That  is  the  thought  that  we  ought 


SERMONS  ON  PREACHING. 


249 


to  impress  as  strongly  as  possi- 
ble. If  we  can  succeed  in  cutting 
the  length  of  sermons  one  half,  I 
feel  assured  that  it  will  be  a  great 
victory  for  us." 

''What  is  the  best  reason  that 
you  can  give  to  a  preacher  in  urg- 
ing him  to  preach  shorter  ser- 
mons?" asked  one  of  the  cabinet 
members. 

''Besides  what  I  have  just 
given  you,  I  would  declare  that 
the  people,  on  an  average,  are 
now  twice  as  systematic  in  their 
way  of  thinking,  and  they  prefer 
good  quality  in  smaller  packages. 
And  then  I  should  also  say  that  it 
is  far  better  to  send  a  few  truths 
home  to  the  heart  than  to  cause 
confusion  by  a  long,  tedious  pre- 
sentation. ' ' 

2.  "There  should  be  as  little 
Scripture  as  possible  quoted  in  a 
sermon. ' ' 

' '  If  this  can  be  accomplished  it 
will  certainly  be  a  great  hit.  Tell 
a  preacher  that  it  is  no  longer 
necessary  to  be  reading  from  the 


250 


SERMONS  ON  PREACHING. 


source  of  authority,  inasmucn  as 
it  is  supposed  that  the  general 
mass  of  people  are  acquainted 
with  the  Bible,  Just  remind  the 
preacher  that  this  is  casting  re- 
flections on  his  audience  and  that 
he  should  spend  more  time  in  tell- 
ing them  something  new,  instead 
of  telling  them  indirectly  that 
they  do  not  know  the  Bible.  If 
you  have  the  right  kind  of  a 
preacher  just  finish  by  saying: 
'Every  time  you  quote  Scripture 
it  is  like  putting  sawdust  into  the 
gravy.'  " 

3.  "Eliminate  as  much  as  pos- 
sible all  reference  to  Christ  in  the 
preaching. ' ' 

'  *  I  admit  that  this  is  one  of  the 
hardest  things  that  we  have  to 
accomplish,  and  likely  it  will  be 
impossible  to  gain  this  point  with 
a  large  number  of  the  preachers. 
But  I  feel  quite  certain  that  wo 
can  persuade  not  a  few  to  put 
Christ  in  the  background.  The 
best  way  is  to  appeal  to  the 
preacher's    pride,    and   tell   him 


SERMONS  ON  PREACHING.  251 

that  if  he  wishes  to  be  really  modern,  and  up-to- 
date,  he  must  cut  a  new  swath  in  the  harvest  field 
of  the  present  age.  You  might  as  well  insist  that 
the  old  preachers  made  themselves  obnoxious  by 
their  constant  allusion  to  Christ.  Such  references 
are  always  painful  to  the  average  hearer,  as  it  sug- 
gests the  dark  and  tragic  scene  of  Calvary.  Tell 
him  that  it  is  his  duty  to  spare  his  hearers,  many 
of  whom  have  sensitive  nerves. ' ' 

**  Allow  me  to  relate  a  little  circumstance  that 
occurred  recently.  A  smart  Devil  was  arguing 
with  a  swell  preacher,  and  he  told  him  that  years 
ago  whfen  ministers  were  more  limited  in  their  ed- 
ucation, they  were  compelled  to  make  endless  ref- 
erences to  Christ,  so  as  to  fill  in  the  time.  'But 
now,'  continued  the  Devil,  'some  men  are  smart 
enough  to  preach  a  whole  sermon  without  men- 
tioning Christ. '  On  this  particular  point  the  Devil 
won,  for  the  minister  seemed  to  think  that  the  less 
of  Christ  he  put  into  his  sermon,  the  greater  was 
his  knowledge  supposed  to  be.  Let  me  urge  you  to 
work  this  scheme  whenever  possible. ' ' 

4r.  ''We  should  endeavor  to  stop  all  preaching 
about  Hell." 

"Along  this  line  we  have  gained  remarkable  pro- 
gress during  the  past  fifty  years.  Our  efforts  have 
been  fruitful,  for  we  can  see  all  around  us  that  the 
idea  of  Hell  is  out  of  date.    The  preacher  who 


252 


SERMONS  ON  PREACHING. 


still  persists  in  presenting  the 
old-time  views  on  this  subject, 
must  be  willing  to  be  branded  as 
unwise  and  illiterate.  It  would 
be  a  thousand  times  better  if  we 
could  persuade  ministers  to 
preach  the  doctrine  of  Purgatory. 
Then  men  could  sin  as  much  as 
necessity  demands,  and  after 
death  they  would  serve  their  time 
in  Purgatory,  after  which  they 
would  be  transported  into  ever- 
lasting Heaven.  If  you  meet  a 
man  upon  whose  mind  you  can 
impress  the  Purgatory  views,  tell 
him  that  all  the  passages  in  the 
Bible  relating  to  future  punish- 
ment are  figurative,  and  that  they 
bear  a  meaning  entirely  different 
from  the  literal. ' ' 

5.  ''Let  us  insist  en  more  Sci- 
ence and  Philosophy  to  be  inter- 
woven in  present-day  sermons,  as 
well  as  the  principal  current 
events. ' ' 

*'It  is  true  that  some  preachers 
will  urge  that  they  were  not  call- 
ed to  teach  Science,  etc.    But  we 


SERMONS  ON  PREACHING. 


253 


must  insist  that  preaching  is  best 
flavored  when  it  has  a  seasoning 
of  profane  truth.  Our  victory 
does  not  consist  in  getting  a 
preacher  to  season  his  sermons, 
but  that  is  the  beginning,  which 
may  result  in  turning  his  sermons 
into  pleasing  lectures  on  social 
economy,  or  some  shades  of  sci- 
entific knowledge.  What  has  been 
done  should  be  continued  on  a 
much  larger  scale.  If  we  can  get 
a  preacher  on  this  incline  plane, 
it  is  very  likely  that  he  will  be- 
come cold  and  formal  in  his  pul- 
pit language  and  manners.  If  we 
can  persuade  the  clergy  to  put 
more  flowers  into  their  scientific 
bouquets,  and  more  ornaments  on 
the  bread  plate,  we  will  have  but 
little  trouble  to  make  a  spirit- 
ual feast  consist  of  the  most 
beautiful  dishes  spread  out  on 
an  inviting  cover,  and  decor- 
ated with  modern  tinselry.  With 
such  board,  the  Christians  will 
soon  starve  to  a  spiritual 
death." 


354 


SERMONS  ON  PEEACHING. 


''It  is  possible  to  get  a 
preacher  so  that  he  will  look 
upon  an  error  in  speech  as  an 
unpardonable  blunder,  and  at 
the  same  time,  be  indifferent 
concerning  the  salvation  of 
souls.  We  all  admire  a  preach- 
er who  is  beautifully  exact  in 
his  language,  and  graceful  in 
manners,  at  the  expense  of  an 
earnest  and  conscientious  pre- 
sentation of  the  truth." 

6.  ''We  ought  to  persuade 
preachers  to  get  their  supplies 
from  below,  and  thus  depend 
on  knowledge  more  than  the 
Holy  Spirit." 

"There  is  not  much  hope 
that  we  can  succeed  against 
any  preacher,  as  long  as  he  re- 
ceives his  inspirations  from 
above,  or  as  long  as  he  opens 
his  heart  for  a  Holy  Spirit  fill- 
ing, as  he  calls  it.  When  you 
meet  such  a  preacher,  the  best 
thing  to  do  is  to  pass  on  and 
spend  your  time  on  a  more 
hopeful   subject.    The  preach- 


SERMONS  ON  PREACHING. 


256 


er  who  depends  upon  the  Holy 
Spirit,  seems  to  be  infused 
with  some  kind  of  fire  that  is 
worse  than  poison  to  us.  I 
always  hate  to  get  near  such  a 
preacher,  for  he  sends  a  chill 
of  terror  all  over  my  being." 

''Let  us  do  all  we  can  to 
persuade  preachers  to  draw 
from  the  wells  of  knowledge 
and  depend  upon  natural  ac- 
quirements, which,  by  careful 
study  and  training,  can  be  de- 
veloped to  a  fine  degree. ' ' 

7.  "Push  a  preacher  to- 
ware  t  one  of  the  extremes, 
either  Fanaticism  or  Lifeless- 
ness." 

"In  all  this  kind  of  work  be 
judicious.  If  you  cannot  get 
a  man  to  preach  in  a  cold, 
dead  manner,  then  make  an  ef- 
fort to  push  him  to  the  other 
extreme,  in  which  he  will 
thunder  out  at  the  height  of 
his  voice,  on  matters  of 
secondary  importance.  Try 
and  get  him    to    talk    about 


(i6) 


256 


SERMONS  ON  PREACHING. 


Hell  excessively,  and  to  picture 
the  worst  images  that  his  lan- 
guage can  portray.  Make  out 
of  him  a  laughing  stock  as  he 
pounds  away  with  poor  reason- 
ing and  hysterical  appeals.  If 
you  can  get  him  at  this  tangent 
he  will  then  do  as  much  good 
for  our  cause  as  if  he  were  pur- 
posely one  of  our  agents." 

8.  ''We  ought  to  encourage 
preachers  to  speculate  on  the 
Bible." 

"It  is  one  of  the  easiest  traps 
you  can  set  for  the  average 
jireacher.  Get  him  to  try  some 
text  that  nobody  else  ever  tried. 
If  you  can  fill  a  sermon  full  of 
suppositions,  it  is  better  than 
to  fill  it  full  of  facts.  Such  a 
preacher  will  likely  give  his 
congregation  more  doubt  and 
uncertainty  than  anything  else. 
There  is  a  particular  craving 
in  the  human  heart  to  walk  on 
mysterious  soil,  and  if  a 
preacher  will  make  an  attempt 
to  solve  a  deep  mystery,  he  will 


SERMONS  ON  PREACHING.  257 

attract  the  more  enlightened  part  of  his  audience 
away  from  other  things.  This  kind  of  preaching 
will  be  productive  of  infidels  and  atheists,  as  long 
as  you  can  keep  the  preacher  away  from  the  heart- 
stirring  parts  of  the  Bible. ' ' 

''If  you  cannot  succeed  with  the  speculation  ar- 
gument, then  try  the  sensational  fad.  There  are 
not  a  few  who  can  be  turned  off  at  this  angle,  and 
instead  of  putting  a  little  spice  into  the  sermon 
they  can  be  persuaded  to  make  it  nearly  all  spice. ' ' 

It  is  not  hard  to  see  what  kind  of  preaching  the 
Devil  would  like  to  have.  If  a  sermon  could  be 
cut  to  ten  minutes  he  would  then  make  an  effort  to 
reduce  it  to  five  minutes,  or  stop  the  mouths  of 
preachers  altogether.  There  is  certainly  a  danger 
of  cutting  the  length  of  sermons  too  short,  even 
though  it  may  please  certain  audiences.  It  would 
be  much  better  if  a  preacher  would  put  more 
healthy  food  into  his  sermons,  so  that  people  would 
relish  a  full  meal.  Some  people  want  short  ser- 
mons because  there  is  nothing  but  dry  punk  in 
them,  and  the  less  dry  stuff  they  eat  the  better  they 
like  it.  If  a  sermon  is  dead  and  lifeless,  we  almost 
feel  like  giving  the  DeviPs  advice  to  make  it  as 
short  as  possible. 


258  SERMONS  ON  PREACHING. 

In  regard  to  quoting  Scripture  the  Devil  knows 
that  when  a  preacher  neglects  his  Bible  that  he 
fights  like  a  man  who  has  no  weapon,  therefore 
the  promise  and  point  of  his  sermon  is  gone.  Sa- 
tan has  spoiled  many  sermons  by  urging  that  the 
Bible  should  be  disregarded,  and  as  we  look  over 
the  field  it  is  sadly  true  that  the  Bible  is  taking  the 
background  in  too  much  of  the  preaching.  Some 
are  willing  to  honor  the  Bible  by  choosing  a  text 
therefrom,  after  which  a  polite  good-bye  is  given. 

The  Devil  says  there  is  too  much  preaching 
about  Christ  and  Hell.  No  doubt  there  is  too  much 
to  suit  him,  but  we  believe  there  ought  to  be  much 
more  said  on  these  subjects.  Hell  is  just  as  real 
a  place  as  Heaven,  and  there  are  millions  of  people 
going  there.  The  Bible  gives  us  just  as  clear  a 
conception  of  the  place  of  torment  as  of  Heaven, 
and  since  it  is  such  a  practical  subject,  it  ought 
to  be  preached  to  the  people.  Not  in  a  tame, 
doubtful  manner,  but  with  a  positiveness  that  car- 
ries conviction  with  it.  A  proper  mingling  of  the 
terrors  of  Hell  and  the  glories  of  Heaven  are  nec- 
essary to  complete  the  mighty  gospel. 

No  wonder  that  Satan  argues  that  Science  aad 
Philosophy  and  such  kindred  topics  should  be  dis- 
cussed more  in  the  pulpit.  If  he  would  have  a 
short  sermon  and  let  the  Bible  out,  aad  leave  o»t 


SERMONS  ON  PREACHING.  259 

Christ  and  Hell,  he  would  naturally  wish  to  sub- 
stitute trash.  But  we  pray  that  the  preacher  will 
not  be  caught  in  such  a  net. 

It  is  in  keeping  with  His  Satanic  Majesty  to 
argue  that  a  preacher  should  speculate  and  spend 
the  little  time  he  may  have,  in  considering  the  mys- 
teries of  the  Bible,  or  in  impressing  doubts  as  to 
the  possible  meaning  of  certain  passages  and  doc- 
trines. Let  us  stand  aloof  from  all  such  foolish 
suggestions  of  the  Devil.  While  it  may  be  per- 
fectly proper  to  admit  some  so-called  speculation 
into  a  warm  sermon,  yet  it  certainly  should  not 
be  the  ruling  principle  of  a  man's  preaching. 
And,  as  you  would  shun  the  intemperate  use  of 
speculation,  so  treat  the  sensational  element.  The 
word  Sensationalism  is  indeed  flexible  and  can  be 
made  to  cover  many  things  that  are  not  included 
under  it. 

The  Devil  may  rejoice  over  the  gain  he  is  mak- 
ing, but  the  Gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will 
be  preached  by  a  faithful  remnant  even  to  the  end 
of  the  age.  Then  at  His  coming  he  will  gather 
unto  himself  the  faithful,  who  shall  dwell  with  him 
in  great  glory,  and  reign  with  him  in  the  most  ex- 
alted triumph. 


0n  Prag^r 


brra  of  l|ta  (EMmt  ^ 


Satan  once  met  with  his  cabinet  for  the  special 
consideration  of  the  subject  of  prayer.  He  no- 
ticed that  the  best  Christians  were  faithful  in 
their  communion  with  God  and  he  regarded  pray- 
er as  one  of  the  necessary  conditions  to  an  intense 
spiritual  life.  He  conceived  the  idea  that  if  Chris- 
tians could  be  persuaded  to  pray  less,  or  stop 
praying  entirely,  that  they  would  soon  forget  their 
God  altogether. 

He  met  in  private  interview  with  his  seven  chief 
advisors,  and  after  the  session  was  duly  opened 
he  invited  suggestions  from  those  present  as  to 
the  best  method  of  overcoming  the  prayer  habit. 
The  imps  admitted  that  prayer  was  a  mighty 
weapon  in  the  hand  of  their  enemies,  and  they 
were  glad  for  the  opportunity  of  consulting  to- 
gether on  such  a  timely  subject. 

'*I  will  address  you  first,  suggest- 
ed Satan,  "and  you  will  have  the 
privilege  during  my  remarks  of  in- 
terjecting  any   question    or   adding 
any  comments.     One  of  the  strong- 


SATAW 
GIVES  A 
SUGGES- 
TION 


SERMONS  ON  PRAYER.  261 

est  blows  that  we  can  strike  at  Christians  will  be 
to  show  them  some  errors  in  connection  with  pray- 
er. Let  us  inform  them  first  of  all  that  it  is  fool- 
ish to  tell  God  anything  whatever,  inasmuch  as  he 
knows  more  than  any  one  of  his  creatures.  You 
have  all  noticed  in  your  experience  when  a  Chris- 
tian prays,  about  one-third  of  his  prayer  is  oifered 
in  such  a  manner  as  if  he  were  giving  information 
to  God.  Now  if  we  can  succeed  in  getting  Chris- 
tians to  cut  out  this  particular  part  of  prayer  we 
will  reduce  the  time  spent  in  such  devotions  by 
one-third.  This  is  a  cute  little  point  to  work,  and 
while  we  cannot  expect  to  gain  much  with  every 
Christian,  yet  we  are  sure  to  reach  our  point  with 
many  of  them." 

'*I  would  also  call  your  attention  to  the  faith 
idea  that  is  so  strongly  entrenched  in  the  hearts 
of  those  who  send  up  their  petitions  to  Heaven. 
You  know  that  it  is  a  common  belief  that  persons 
must  have  faith  when  they  pray.  It  is  our  work 
to  upset  this  belief  as  much  as  possible  and  try  to 
make  people  believe  that  faith  is  not  at  all  neces- 
sary. You  can  urge  the  truth  that  God  knows  a 
thousand  times  better  than  any  one  who  prays 
what  is  best  for  the  suppliant,  and  therefore  how 
can  it  be  good  for  a  person  to  believe  in  advance 
that  he  will  get  what  he  asks  for.    He  ought  to  be- 


1^2  SERMONS  ON  PRAYER. 

lieve  that  God  will  do  the  best  thing  for  him  and 
leave  his  own  fai<th  altogether  out  of  considera- 
tion." At  this  point  one  of  the  imps  advanced  a 
question : 

*'How  shall  we  distinguish  be- 
tween faith  and  submission?" 

The  Devil  smiled  as  he  proceeded 
to  answer:  *'Do  not  try  to  draw  any 
distinction   between   faith   and   sub- 


A  QUESTION 

ASKED 
BY  ONE  OF 
THE  IMPS 


mission.  If  you  can  tangle  up  the  mind  of  a  Chris- 
tian with  such  terms,  so  much  the  better.  If  it 
is  possible  destroy  the  simple  idea  of  faith  alto- 
gether, or  try  to  make  people  believe  that  faith 
consists  in  believing  that  God  will  do  the  right 
thing  for  his  children  whether  they  ask  for  it  or 
not.  If  you  chance  to  meet  a  high-spirited  Chris- 
tian you  can  tell  him  that  the  exercising  of  faith 
very  often  shows  presumption  on  his  part,  inas- 
much as  he  seems  to  say  by  it  that  he  is  worthy  to 
receive  what  he  asks  for." 

As  the  Devil  continued,  the  seven  imps  listened 
with  great  interest  for  they  were  glad  to  gather 
some  new  suggestions  that  they  could  use  in  con- 
junction with  the  large  corps  of  workers  under 
them. 

"Let  me  assure  you,  my  friends,"  continued 
Satan  with  an  air  of  confidence,  ''that  one  of  the 


SERMONS  ON  PRAYER.  263 

most  powerful  elements  of  prayer  is  perseverance. 
If  you  are  shrewd  you  can  confuse  the  mind  of 
many  a  Christian  by  telling  him  that  perseverance 
is  humiliating,  and  that  in  each  case  where  a  per- 
son asks  the  second  time  for  the  same  thing  it  is 
an  evidence  that  he  had  no  faith  the  first  time,  or 
that  God  did  not  hear  the  prayer.  How  could  a 
person  have  the  proper  faith  the  first  time  and 
then  be  compelled  to  go  the  second  time  and  ask 
for  the  same  thing?  If  you  think  a  moment  you 
will  see  the  confusion  into  which  you  can  lead  a 
I)erson,  especially  one  who  is  not  well  drilled  in 
spiritual  prayer.  If  you  can  succeed  in  no  other 
way,  then  try  to  appeal  to  the  good  taste  of  the 
suppliant.  Tell  him  that  it  destroys  his  dignity 
to  ask  over  and  over  for  the  same  thing  and  also 
that  it  is  an  insult  to  God." 

The  Devil  paused  a  moment  and 
one  of  the  chiefs  offered  a  valuable 
suggestion  concerning  prayer  in 
general. 

''I  have  been  doing  my  best  work 


A  PROM- 
INENT 
DEVIL  RE- 
LATES HIS 
EXPERIENCE! 


along  the  line  of  anti-prayer  by  trying  to  influence 
Christians  to  copy  after  somebody  else  when  they 
pray,  or  to  commit  their  prayers  to  memory.  I 
remember  of  an  experience  I  had  Avith  a  promi- 
nent Christian  who  was  very  particular  about  the 


264  SERMONS  ON  PRAYER. 

language  he  used  in  his  general  conversation.  I 
made  it  my  business  to  be  present  with  him  on  a 
certain  occasion  when  he  was  offering  prayer,  and 
I  suggested  to  his  mind  that  his  language  was  in- 
elegant and  that  it  was  grating  upon  the  ears  of 
sensitive  Christians,  particularly  upon  those  who 
were  educated  and  refined. ' ' 

'*I  was  really  surprised  when  I  noticed  what  an 
effect  this  temptation  had  on  him.  He  bought  a 
book  of  prayers  by  a  prominent  clergj^man  and 
carefully  studied  the  various  ways  of  addressing 
the  Deity.  After  this  I  succeeded  in  getting  him 
to  be  anything  but  natural  when  he  was  offering  a 
prayer.  I  rejoiced  as  I  saw  him  sailing  around  in 
the  cold  forms  of  rhetoric,  having  his  mind  fixed 
upon  the  construction  and  form  of  his  prayer, 
more  than  upon  any  other  feature  of  it.  As  I 
walked  away  I  said  inwardly:  'As  long  as  that 
David  continues  to  wear  Saul's  armor,  he  will  not 
do  very  much  effective  fighting.'  " 

* '  That  is  a  capital  hit, ' '  advanced  the  Devil  with 
a  grin.  '*I  am  glad  for  the  experience  that  our 
friend  has  just  given  us.  I  had  expected  to  speak 
somewhat  along  that  line  but  his  words  are  suf- 
ficient. ' ' 


SERMONS  ON  PRAYER. 


265 


A  NEW 
EXPER- 
IENCE BY 
ANOTHER 
DEVIL 


Another  chief  laid  his  hand  on 
the  table  and  proceeded  with  the  fol- 
lowing words : 

*'I  may  not  be  as  shrewd  as  some 
of  you  but  I  have  won  many  Chris- 
tians away  from  prayer  altogether 
by  scattering  their  thoughts  when  they  were  in  the 
act  of  calling  upon  God.  I  have  often  succeeded  in 
getting  a  person  to  think  about  some  of  their  work 
or  pleasure  even  while  they  were  uttering  words 
of  prayer.  The  words  of  prayer  died  on  their  lips 
because  their  hearts  were  set  upon  something  else 
at  the  same  time.  In  this  manner  prayer  becomes 
very  cold  and  in  a  short  time  the  suppliant  loses 
the  life  thrill  that  naturally  comes  to  his  soul  when 
he  puts  his  heart  into  his  prayer. ' ' 

"You  are  a  great  helper,"  complimented  the 
Devil.  ''Any  demon  who  is  shrewd  enough  to 
catch  people  in  that  kind  of  a  trap,  is  well  worthy 
of  high  rank  in  my  kingdom. ' ' 

''I  should  like  to  inquire,"  said 
one  of  the  other  imps  who  was  pres- 
ent, ''how  you  would  answer  a  per- 
son who  attempts  to  quote  scripture 
on  the  subject  of  prayer." 
' '  Just  use  a  common  argument  and  tell  him  that 
all  such  passages  are  figurative  or  that  they  have 


THE  DEVIL 
ANSWERS 

A 
QUESTION 


266  SEEMONS  ON  PRAYER. 

a  hidden  meaning.  If  it  happens  to  be  a  scholarly 
minded  person  with  whom  you  are  dealing,  quote 
some  sentences  from  the  Greek  and  that  will  have 
a  telling  effect.  If  the  person  is  persistent,  then 
make  great  use  of  the  scene  in  which  Christ  is 
found  praying  and  his  disciples  ask  him  to  teach 
them  how  to  pray,  and  Christ  answers  them  by 
giving  a  set  form  of  prayer.  Use  this  argument 
by  itself  without  reference  to  any  other  part  of 
scripture  and  tell  him  that  he  ought  to  pray  noth- 
ing else  than  just  what  Clirist  told  him.  If  you 
can  make  a  person  feel  satisfied  by  continually  re- 
peating the  Lord's  prayer,  he  will  be  confined  to 
a  very  narrow  channel,  and  the  greater  expansion 
of  his  soul  will  not  be  realized." 

These  few  words  in  regard  to  scripture  were 
gladly  received  by  the  staff  of  officers.  They  ad- 
mitted that  nothing  counted  so  much  against  them 
as  the  teaching  of  the  Bible,  and  the  best  way  to 
overcome  this  was  to  get  people  to  accept  wrong 
views  of  the  great  book  and  its  teachings. 

—^" ■■■■■ *'If  we  can  use  scripture,"  sug- 

THE  CASE     gested  one,  *  *  in  a  shrewd  manner  we 

OF  PAUL       can  get  a  hearing  from  many  a  f aith- 

AND  SILAS     ful  soul  wlio  othcrwisc  would  give 

no  attention  to  any  of  our  advances. 


I  remember  in  a  larg«  city  I  was  called  by  one  of 


SERMONS  ON  PRAYER.  267 

my  helpers  to  give  some  assistance  in  a  very  diffi- 
cult case.  A  certain  person  was  made  to  believe 
that  Paul  and  Silas  prayed  in  the  prison  at  night 
and  that  the  Lord  answered  their  prayer,  and  also 
opened  the  doors  of  the  prison.  One  of  my  ser- 
vants who  had  this  case  in  hand  tried  to  show  the 
Christian  that  prayer  never  had  such  an  effect, 
but  the  Christian  was  still  determined  in  believing 
that  there  was  wonderful  power  in  prayer.  So 
I  consented  to  play  a  part  in  the  case,  and  I  found 
my  subject  to  be  very  stubborn.  The  person  in 
question  was  determined  upon  a  literal  interpreta- 
tion of  the  passage.  It  was  then  that  I  told  him 
that  earthquakes  were  very  common  in  Palestine 
and  especially  at  night  and  that  it  was  customary 
to  build  their  jails  on  a  solid  foundation,  sometimes 
on  an  immense  bed  of  rock.  For  this  reason  an 
earthquake  would  have  a  terrible  effect  on  the 
prison  wherein  Paul  and  Silas  were  helplessly 
confined.  It  was  the  earthquake  that  opened  the 
doors  of  the  prison  and  if  the  whole  truth  were 
known  you  would  find  that  Paul  and  Silas  only 
prayed  because  they  were  afraid.  After  an  in- 
genious twisting  of  this  part  of  scripture,  I  suc- 
ceeded in  unsettling  the  mind  of  the  person  very 
much,  but  I  fear  that  if  he  reads  that  part  of  scrip- 
ture a  few  times  again  he  will  forget  all  I  told  him. 


268  SERMONS  ON  PRAYER. 

So  I  have  given  him  in  charge  of  one  of  my  best 
helpers  and  the  future  alone  will  reveal  the  out- 
come. ' ' 

''There  is  no  doubt,"  spoke  out  the  Devil  with 
decision,  ''but  that  we  must  be  firm  on  this  one 
point  in  teaching  that  there  is  no  power  in  prayer, 
and  that  the  only  good  it  does,  is  to  satisfy  the 
mind  of  the  suppliant.  Many  preachers  are  tak- 
ing advantage  of  the  situation  and  are  preaching 
a  good  bit  about  prayer  and  showing  the  people 
what  wonderful  virtue  there  is  in  its  practice.  We 
cannot  do  much  as  long  as  this  preaching  is  going 
on,  or  as  long  as  we  have  people  who  will  listen  to 
it.  We  are  thankful  to  say  that  some  preachers 
do  not  say  anything  about  prayer  during  a  whole 
month.  While  there  are  many  discouraging  fea- 
tures on  hand,  yet  we  have  reason  to  be  hopeful 
for  a  successful  outcome  if  we  continue  to  bend 
our  energies  to  our  tasks  and  never  let  go." 

"I  am  glad  to  note,"  spoke  in  a 

new  voice,  "that  the  general  drift  of 

pulpit  prayer  is  toward  lifelessness 

and  formality." 

"Ah!      you     are     right     there," 

chimed   in    several   voices    at    once. 


A  NEW 

VOICE   IN 

PULPIT 

PRAYER 


"There  was  a  time,"  continued  the  imp,  "when 
fervent  and  effectual  prayer  fell  from  the  pulpit 


SERMONS  ON  PREACHING.  269 

much  mort  than  in  these  days,  and  its  effect  on 
the  congregation  was  very  noticeable.  It  is  en- 
couraging to  relate  that  we  have  succeeded  some- 
what in  cooling  off  the  pulpit  fire  and  at  this  time 
the  zealous  prayer  is  the  exception  rather  than  the 
rule. ' ' 

''Did  not  that  all  come  with  the  advance  of 
learning  r'  asked  the  Devil. 

''Not  altogether,"  replied  a  husky  voice. 
"Some  of  the  most  learned  preachers  pray  in  the 
most  fervent  spirit.  We  have  accomplished  our 
work  by  choking  out  the  spiritual  life  in  the  pulpit 
and  the' pew.  We  are  urging  preachers  and  people 
to  move  in  the  rut,  and  more  important  than  that, 
to  neglect  their  private  devotion  altogether." 

"I  see  you  have  had  some  experience,"  spoke 
the  Devil  as  he  followed  the  words  of  the  speaker 
with  a  low  grin.  "Let  me  urge  you  to  ply  your 
ingenuity  to  the  utmost  in  stopping  the  practice 
of  public  or  private  prayer.  We  cannot  expect  to 
make  many  great  advances  as  long  as  there  are  so 
many  praying  Christians.  Every  effort  you  make 
along  this  line  will  count  and  I  hope  to  hear  the 
most  favorable  reports  from  you  all.  Sometime 
in  the  future  we  can  assemble  and  consider  this 
same  line  of  thought  and  possibly  get  some  addi- 
tional light." 


_  Satan  has  inspired  many  utter- 

-^^-?  ances     concerning     the    book    of 

^  Jonah.     The  following  pages  con- 

tain some  of  his  latest  thoughts  on  this  part  of  the 
Bible. 

''The  Bible  in  general  is  a  good  production,  al- 
though many  parts  of  it  do  not  bear  the  marks 
of  genuine  inspiration,  among  which  is  the  book  of 
Jonah.  This  story  of  Jonah  has  done  more  to 
cripple  faith  in  the  Bible  than  most  any  other  of 
its  uninspired  parts,  and  about  the  best  purpose 
that  it  can  serve  would  be  to  suggest  to  some  good 
novelist  a  plot  for  a  good  story. 

' '  It  may  be  that  such  a  man  as  Jonah  once  lived 
and  that  he  was  commanded  to  go  and  preach  in 
the  city  of  Nineveh,  and  that  he  disobeyed  the  com- 
mand, which  resulted  in  his  disfavor  and  punish- 
ment. There  will  be  no  harm  in  believing  this  part 
of  tlie  story,  but  when  a  man  of  intelligence  is  ask- 
ed to  believe  the  fish  story  in  connection  with  it, 


SATAN'S  SERMON  ON  JONAH.  271 

then  permit  us  to  say  that  he  should  be  excused 
from  being  so  gullible. 

It  is  claimed  that  Jonah,  after  he  had  received 
liis  orders,  boarded  a  ship  for  Tarshish  instead 
of  going  to  Nineveh,  and  that  the  Lord  in  his  dis- 
pleasure sent  out  a  great  wind  storm  which  tossed 
the  sea  so  much  that  the  ship  which  carried  Jonah 
was  threatened.  All  this  could  happen  without 
violating  any  of  the  reasonable  laws  of  nature.  But 
it  is  further  stated  that  Jonah  fell  asleep  and  con- 
tinued in  slumber  during  the  progress  of  the  ter- 
rible storm,  to  say  nothing  about  the  great  excite- 
ment on  board.  It  is  rather  hard  to  believe  a 
thing  of  this  kind,  especially  sincfe  Jonah  was  a 
Jew.  A  Jew  always  looks  out  for  himself,  and  it 
would  have  been  more  like  Jonah  to  be  standing 
on  deck  somewhere  near  a  life-boat. 

"Then  it  is  also  claimed  that  the  mariners  cast 
lots  to  determine  on  whose  account  the  fearful 
tempest  was  raging.  It  is  claimed  that  the  lot  fell 
upon  Jonah.  Then  follows  a  full  confession  on 
the  part  of  the  penitent  Jew,  after  which  he  re- 
quested to  be  cast  into  the  sea.  If  this  were  said 
of  some  men  we  might  believe  it,  but  when  it  is 
said  of  a  short-sighted  Jew  the  story  becomes 
nearly  as  hard  to  swallow  as  for  the  fish  to  swal- 
low Jonah.    It  would  be  quite  natural  for  a  man 


(17) 


272  SATAN'S  SERMON  ON  JONAH. 

like  Jonah  to  work  several  schemes  to  shift  the 
responsibility  and  finally  to  offer  a  few  apologies. 
These  are  the  small  things  about  the  story  that 
render  it  hard  to  believe.  But  now  comes  the  part 
of  the  narrative  that  no  one  should  be  asked  to 
believe.  It  is  said  that  the  mariners  '  Took  up  Jo- 
nah and  cast  him  forth  into  the  sea,  and  the  sea 
ceased  from  her  raging '  and  that  a  great  fish  swal- 
lowed Jonah.  It  is  not  said  whether  Jonah  went 
down  perpendicularly  or  horizontally,  lengthwise 
or  sidewise." 

*' Where  could  you  find  a  fish  that  could  swallow 
a  man,  clothing  and  all  ?  It  is  a  scientific  fact  that 
no  fish  has  a  throat  large  enough  to  swallow  a  man 
whole.  One  begins  to  wonder  what  motive  the 
author  of  such  a  story  had  in  expecting  that  peo- 
ple would  believe  it. ' ' 

''Not  only  is  the  swallowing  an  impossible  task 
but  the  story  says  that  'Jonah  was  in  the  belly  of 
the  whale  three  days  and  three  nights.'  Anybody 
that  knows  anything  about  fish  will  testify  that  no 
sea-serpent  or  whale  could  hold  an  indigestible 
lump  in  his  stomach  for  such  a  long  period  with- 
out getting  seasick  enough  to  throw  it  out.  If  this 
story  would  be  true,  one  would  pity  the  fish  more 
than  Jonah.  Think  of  the  great  amount  of  stom- 
ach-ache and  head-ache  that  such  a  fish  would  be 
compelled  to  endure  during  that  terrible  period. 


SATAN'S  SERMON  ON  JONAH.  273 

*'It  is  a  wonder  that  no  one  has  attempted  to 
write  the  supposed  experiences  of  Jonah  during 
those  three  days  and  three  nights  while  he  remain- 
ed in  the  belly  of  the  fish.  That  would  make  about 
as  interesting  a  tale  of  fiction  as  any  author  could 
write.  He  might  proceed  to  give  it  in  the  form  of 
a  diary,  hour  by  hour.  He  might  say  that  Jonah 
kept  awake  during  the  first  twelve  hours  of  his 
strange  imprisonment,  feeling  around  against  the 
rubber-like  walls  and  slimy  pits  of  the  stomach, 
until  he  was  convinced  that  escape  was  impossible. 

''The, writer  could  then  proceed  along  the  line 
of  probability.  It  would  be  only  natural  to  sup- 
pose that  Jonah  felt  around  until  he  found  the 
hole  through  which  he  came  into  the  stomach,  and 
that  he  pushed  his  head  up  through  this  hole  and 
worked  himself  half  way  up  toward  the  mouth  and 
that  the  fish  squeezed  him  back  again.  The  writer 
could  say,  with  a  reasonable  shade  of  accuracy, 
that  Jonah  was  so  encouraged  by  this  attempt  that 
he  made  another  effort  and  still  another  until  at 
last  he  forced  his  way  up  to  the  mouth  of  the  fish 
but  could  not  escape.  He  held  on  to  the  great  jaws 
of  the  fish  as  long  as  possible,  but  at  last  the  fish 
washed  him  down  with  a  forced  swallow.  It  would 
be  a  happy  hit  if  some  talented  writer  would  fill 
in  the  whole  outline  jiving  us  as  near  as  possible 


^^74        SATAN'S  SERMON  ON  JONAH. 

the  story  of  Jonah's  three  days  and  three  nights. 
Then  a  person  could  accept  this  as  simple  fiction 
without  being  an  infidel. 

* '  Going  back  to  the  main  story  it  is  also  alleged 
that  the  great  fish  finally  vomited  up  Jonah  upon 
the  dry  land.  This  part  of  the  story  would  not 
be  as  hard  to  believe  as  the  other  part,  because  one 
would  suppose  that  the  whale  would  become  so 
tired  of  Jonah  that  he  preferred  to  do  him  a  favor 
so  that  Jonah  in  return  would  never  try  to  get 
into  his  belly  again.  Certainly  if  a  fish  could  swal- 
low a  man,  his  throat  would  be  large  enough  to 
throw  him  out  again. 

''Anybody  who  chooses  can  believe  this  story 
in  a  literal  way.  Indeed  there  are  many  people 
who  will  believe  any  thing  if  it  is  in  the  Bible,  for 
I  heard  of  a  woman  who  said  that  she  would  be- 
lieve it  if  it  was  declared  that  Jonah  had  swallow- 
ed the  whale.  But  there  is  a  more  enlightened 
class  of  men  who  have  investigated  through  many 
years,  and  who  are  very  piously  inclined.  These 
men  accept  the  book  of  Jonah  as  inspired,  but  in 
keeping  with  their  good  judgment  they  must  get 
the  figurative  construction  of  the  whole  book  and 
simply  count  it  as  showing  the  bitter  fruits  of  dis- 
obedience. But  the  most  enlightened  of  all  the 
scholars,  such  who  have  added  to  the  storehouse 


SATAN'S  SERMON  ON  JONAH.  275 

of  knowledge  and  have  quaffed  from  the  cool 
springs  of  wisdom,  they  do  not  hesitate  to  ridicule 
the  whole  story  and  cast  it  to  the  winds  so  far  as 
their  own  faith  is  concerned." 


E3 

ffinmm^tttfi  j^Vrr^Sus  W'h        |^ 

Let  each  one  who  reads  the  Devil's  views  of  the 
book  of  Jonah  be  sure  to  read  the  following: 

* '  What  the  Devil  says  about  Scripture  is  worth- 
less because  he  is  a  liar  and  a  deceiver.  It  is  said 
in  the  book  of  Jonah  that '  The  Lord  had  prepared 
a  great  fish  to  swallow  up  Jonah. '  The  Devil  well 
knows  that  the  Lord  has  all  power  and  that  he 
made  out  of  nothing  all  things  that  exist,  and  not 
only  made  them  but  sustains  them  with  a  math- 
ematical accuracy  so  fine  that  even  our  most  deli- 
cately manufactured  time  pieces  must  refer  to  the 
movements  of  the  ponderous  orbs  for  their  stand- 
ard time.  Any  man  of  ordinary  sense,  just  sense 
enough  to  keep  him  out  of  the  asylum,  ought  to 
see  that  a  Creator  who  can  make  a  world  large 
enough  to  sustain  billions  of  people  ought  to  be 
able  to  make  a  fish  large  enough  to  swallow  a 
man. ' ' 

''The  church  and  the  world  are  getting  tired  of 
men  who  profess  to  know  everything  and  whose 


276  SATAN'S  SERMON  ON  JONAH. 

faith  cannot  rise  to  the  possibility  of  believing  a 
thing  so  easy  as  this.  If  the  story  of  Jonah  is  to 
be  turned  aside  on  scientific  grounds  then  many 
parts  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  must  like- 
wise be  put  aside.  But  it  is  a  trick  of  the  Devil  to 
destroy  faith  in  any  one  part  of  the  great  book, 
for  he  knows  that  if  a  professor  of  Christianity 
can  be  persuaded  to  disbelieve  one  small  part  of 
the  Bible,  that  the  way  is  open  to  persuade  him  to 
discard  other  parts. ' ' 

If  a  man  object  to  the  story  of  Jonah  because 
he  claims  it  is  contrary  to  his  reason,  he  must  re- 
member that  there  is  more  likelihood  of  his  reason 
being  out  of  order  than  that  the  book  of  Jonah  is 
defective.  Both  in  nature  and  revelation  there  are 
many  things  beyond  reason,  and  the  important 
fact  is  that  they  were  intended  by  Infinite  Wisdom 
to  be  so.  We  can  consider  ourselves  fortunate  if 
we  succeed  in  reaching  the  knowledge  that  is  put 
within  range  of  mortal  man.  The  sainted  Henry 
Ward  Beecher  once  said  that  if  God  had  intended 
that  the  Atlantic  ocean  should  be  waded  by  man  he 
would  either  have  made  the  ocean  more  shallow  or 
the  limbs  of  man  longer.  So  it  is  with  man 's  rea- 
son. It  is  not  large  enough  or  big  enough  to  wade 
across  the  deep  oceans  of  God's  truth  as  it  exists  in 
Science  and  Religion.    But  we  need  not  tremble, 


SATAN'S  SERMON  ON  JONAH.  377 

inasmuch  as  '*  Underneath  are  the  everlasting 
arms. ' ' 

The  book  of  Jonah  affords  ample  instruction  to 
the  man  who  brushes  doubt  away,  but  he  who  en- 
virons his  vision  of  faith  by  a  spectrum  of  doubt 
will  not  only  cripple  his  own  soul,  but  will  shut 
from  his  view  the  greater  glory  of  God. 

''Let  us  not  be  caught  in  a  trap.  We  believe  in 
God  and  in  that  belief  is  included  our  experiences 
of  the  Bible 's  teaching  of  his  attributes.  If  we  ex- 
ercise full  faith  about  these  small  things  which  are 
easy  to  believe,  some  day  we  will  be  transported 
to  a  region  more  vast,  where  we  shall  see  face  to 
face  the  fulfilment  of  tasks  a  thousand  times  great- 
er than  we  ever  witnessed  in  this  world.  Our  pres- 
ent life  and  its  requirements  are  only  stepping 
stones  into  the  vast  temple  where  we  shall  see  the 
spring  of  all  power,  the  center  of  all  good,  and 
the  fountain-head  of  all  glory.'* 


Ht^hiH  0n 


spoken  to  an  Educated  Young  Man,  Whose  Conscieace 
was  Troubled  on  Account  of  his  Profanity. 

^*It  is  impossible  to  draw  the  line  between 
swearing  and  not  swearing.  There  are  so  many 
words  necessary  to  give  strength  to  our  sentences 
that  he  who  wishes  to  be  forceful  in  his  speech 
makes  a  serious  blunder  in  barring  out  all  manner 
of  by-words.  How  wisely  the  good  teacher  of 
Palestine  said  that  it  was  not  that  which  came  out 
of  a  man  that  defiled  him,  but  that  which  went 
into  him.  So  if  the  heart  is  right,  one  need  not 
worry  so  much  about  the  words  that  pass  from  the 
mouth. ' ' 

"The  many  haimless  words  used  in  swearing 
only  add  flavor  to  your  conversation  and  give  you 
an  opportunity  of  expressing  the  exact  shade  of 
your  feelings.  No  one  would  think  of  becoming 
shocked  at  the  common  types  of  profanity  if  it 
were  not  for  the  prejudice  which  is  quite  popular 
against  swearing.  When  charity  once  reaches  that 
standard  of  excellence  for  which  all  good  people 


SATAN'S  VIEWS  ON  SWEARING.  ^79 

crave,  then  there  will  no  longer  be  this  deep-seated 
prejudice  against  the  salt,  pepper  and  spice  of  our 
language. ' ' 

^'Constantly  remember,  my  young  friend,  that 
you  are  a  free  creature,  and  that  you  can  do  as  you 
please.  But  on  account  of  the  civil  law  try  to 
avoid  the  rank  types  of  profanity  lest  some  fool 
should  have  you  arrested." 

' '  Have  you  ever  noticed  that  the  men  who  swear 
are  usually  men  of  big  hearts  and  kind  disposi- 
tions. If  there  is  need  of  charity  in  the  commun- 
ity, three  chances  to  one,  the  man  who  swears  will 
be  the  Urst  one  to  give  substantial  help,  while  the 
pious  church  people  will  possibly  not  know  any- 
thing about  the  needy  case  until  it  is  too  late." 

We  can  see  by  the  foregoing  remarks  that  Satan 
totally  ignores  the  teaching  of  the  Bible,  such  as 
is  found  in  the  following  passages : 

Ex.  20 :7,  ' '  Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the 
Lord  thy  God  in  vain,  for  the  Lord  will  not  hold 
him  guiltless  that  taketh  his  name  in  vain." 

Lev.  19:12,  ''Ye  shall  not  swear  by  my  name 
falsely,  neither  shalt  thou  profane  the  name  of 
thy  God." 

Zech.  5:3,  "Every  one  that  sweareth  shall  be 
cut  off." 

Col.  3:8,  "Put  off  all  these,  blasphemy  and 
filthy  communication  out  of  your  mouth." 


280  SATAN'S  VIEWS  ON  SWEARING. 

When  profanity  is  so  expressly  forbidden  in  the 
greatest  book  in  the  world,  and  is  also  contrary 
to  the  civil  law,  then  no  one  ought  to  listen  to  the 
wicked  teaching  of  Satan  on  this  subject. 

It  is  easily  understood  that  if  Satan  had  his 
own  way  every  mouth  would  flow  with  black 
curses.  He  knows  very  well  that  when  a  person 
can  be  persuaded  to  take  the  name  of  God  in  vain 
that  he  is  unfit  to  worship  the  same  God  in  spirit 
and  in  truth.  Or  to  put  the  matter  more  plainly 
he  is  lending  his  influence  to  the  service  of  Satan. 

Satan  has  a  peculiar  way  of  quoting  Scripture. 
He  stops  short  in  the  middle  of  a  verse  or  re- 
verses the  order  of  the  thought  just  as  he  sees 
proper  to  carry  out  his  low  purpose.  When  he 
makes  reference  to  the  "Good  teacher  of  Pales- 
tine"  he  quotes  the  passage  in  a  manner  altogether 
misleading.  It  is  a  hundred  times  better  to  never 
look  at  the  Bible  than  to  use  it  for  such  purposes. 

Satan  tells  a  black  falsehood  regarding  the 
character  of  the  men  who  swear.  Swearing  has 
never  made  anybody  charitable  or  kind  and  it  is 
strange  that  anybody  should  tolerate  such  views. 
The  world  has  received  its  greatest  blessings  from 
the  people  who  respect  and  worship  God  and  who 
could  not  take  His  name  in  vain  under  any  circum- 
stances.   The  world's  march  of  progress  has  been 


SATAN'S  VIEWS  ON  SWEARING.  281 

aiong  the  line  of  the  pure  in  heart  and  pure  in 
words.  In  the  language  of  another  let  us  say  that 
''The  man  who  swears  does  ten  things  at  once." 
1.  He  breaks  the  command  of  God.  2.  He  vio- 
lates the  law  of  the  land.  3.  He  transgresses  the 
rules  of  good  manners.  4.  He  outrages  decency. 
5.  He  insults  good  people.  6.  He  profanes  sacred 
things.  7.  He  shows  bad  bringing  up.  8.  He  dis- 
honors his  parents.  9.  He  does  what  he  is  asham- 
ed of.    10.  He  does  what  he  will  regret. 


^  ^  ^^fa^n  BtvmonB  ^  ^ 


bg  MtmbnB  sit  tl^t  ^MVb  (Hubxmt 


] 


A  few  years  after  the  twentieth  century  had 
commenced,  Satan  called  a  special  session  of  his 
seven  chief  helpers.  These  evil  spirits  were  the 
highest  in  rank  of  all  the  intelligences  in  his  Sa- 
tanic kingdom,  and  they  reached  their  position  not 
through  favoritism  or  partiality,  but  because  of 
their  fitness  for  it.  In  terms  of  our  national  gov- 
ernment these  seven  devils  would  constitute  Sa- 
tan's cabinet.  In  accordance  with  the  call,  the  se- 
lect company  met  and  were  ready  to  hear  the 
words  of  their  trusted  chief. 

I  looked  upon  these  famous  spirits  as  they  were 
convening,  and  although  I  could  not  get  a  close 
view  of  their  most  interesting  faces,  yet  I  saw 
enough  of  them  to  impress  my  mind  for  life. 
Each  face  was  a  new  revelation  to  me.  Oh,  how 
my  soul  is  chilled  with  horror  as  memory  holds 
the  view!  On  one  face  was  pictured  all  the  pain 
and  anguish  that  had  been  furrowed  through  cen- 
turies of  a  forced  service;  another  face  was  such 
a  terrible  picture  of  sadness  that  no  words  could 


SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET.  2SS 

possibly  give  a  description  of  it ;  and  if  I  had  an 
artist  who  could  draw  the  third  face,  I  could  by  an 
exhibition  of  it,  turn  thousands  of  people  from 
their  present  evil  course  to  the  path  of  truth  and 
righteousness. 

The  study  of  these  faces  alone  is  a  most  valuable 
work  although  most  revolting.  We  can  see  in  this 
life  the  effect  of  fifty  or  sixty  years  of  evil  think- 
ing on  the  faces  of  certain  individuals.  How  care- 
fully the  lines  are  drawn  on  such  countenances 
which  point  as  index  fingers  back  to  the  character 
of  their  souls.  Human  life  is  so  short  that  the 
process  of  evil  designs  is  soon  cut  off  and  we  can 
only  get  the  story  of  sin  as  marked  in  one  life  in 
less  than  a  century.  But  think  of  a  demon  of  great 
mental  energy,  who  has  been  biased  toward  sin, 
and  who  has  been  scheming  against  righteousness 
for  thousands  of  years.  His  face  tells  the  awful 
alory  of  his  past  career. 

When  the  cabinet  assembled,  Satan  sat  as 
Chairman  of  the  meeting  and  his  principal  pur- 
pose for  calling  the  session  was  soon  discovered. 
He  leaned  over  a  peculiar  desk  and  spoke  to  his 
chief  advisors  in  slow,  distinct  tones,  with  words 
carefully  weighed: 

*'I  have  selected  seven  prizes.  The  first  one  is 
the  most  handsome,  and  the  rest  are  graded,  each 


2g4  SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET. 

one  less  valuable  than  the  other  down  to  the  sev- 
enth. Even  the  seventh  prize  is  costly  and  beau- 
tiful and  will  be  worn  with  pride  by  its  owner,  but 
the  first  prize  outdazzles  anything  that  I  have  yet 
offered  through  the  centuries.  I  will  not  now  re- 
veal the  nature  of  these  prizes.  In  due  4;ime  you 
will  not  only  see  them,  but  you  shall  possess  them. 
They  will  be  awarded  according  to  your  work  dur- 
ing the  next  six  months,  as  I  shall  now  describe. ' ' 

''The  one  of  you  who  will  inaugurate  the  best 
scheme  to  help  our  cause  during  the  coming  six 
months  shall  receive  the  first  prize.  The  one  who 
does  the  next  best  work  will  receive  second  prize, 
and  so  on  until  the  seven  prizes  are  awarded." 

''When  the  six  months  have  ended  we  shall 
gather  in  special  session  and  each  one  of  you  will 
give  your  official  report  before  one  thousand 
judges.  When  the  seven  reports  are  given  a  vote 
will  be  taken  and  by  this  vote  the  distribution  of 
prizes  will  be  determined." 

After  this  plan  was  fully  explained,  some  less 
important  business  was  transacted  and  then  the 
experienced  demons  went  forth  to  ply  their  ingen- 
uity against  the  kingdom  of  righteousness. 

At  the  end  of  six  months  the  wonderful  gather- 
ing convened.  The  Devil  himself  was  present 
and  on  this  occasion  sat  in  the  center  of  the  audi- 


SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET.  285 

ence  on  a  specially  prepared  throne.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  cabinet  occupied  their  seats  of  honor 
on  a  large  platform  before  the  assembled  host. 
The  one  thousand  judges  were  gathered  in  com- 
fortable array,  each  one  having  his  appointed 
place.  Beyond  the  judges  sat  a  numberless  host 
of  visiting  imps  who  were  also  greatly  interested 
in  the  outcome  of  the  famous  contest.  At  the 
proper  time  the  first  evil  spirit  arose,  and  looking 
down  upon  the  small  army  of  judges  addressed 
them  in  a  dignified  manner : 

''You  are  all  aware  of  the  special  work  that  I 
accomplished  in  the  recent  past.  After  a  long, 
careful  study  of  the  condition  of  the  church  of 
Christ  on  earth,  I  conceived  the  idea  that  nothing 
would  help  our  cause  so  much  as  to  increase  all 
kinds  of  hypocrisy  (applause)  and  so,  with  an 
army  of  assistants,  I  invented  certain  kinds  of  ma- 
chinery for  the  manufacture  of  sheepskins  of  all 
kinds  and  all  sizes.  (Applause.)  You  all  know 
that  it  had  been  customary  for  our  helpers  to  wear 
sheepskins  during  the  ages  of  the  past,  but  as  I 
cbneluded  to  carry  the  scheme  into  popular  use 
among  church  members  and  others,  I  found  that 
there  were  not  sheep  enough  killed  each  year  to 
suppiythe  need-  So  I  have^my  Sheepskin  Fac- 
tory in  full  operation  as  you  are  all  awar^    We 


286  SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET. 

are  now  able  to  furnish  any  little  mean  wolf  or 
any  large  one,  with  a  perfect  fit  of  sheepskin. 
(Applause.)  And  I  assure  you  that  we  have  al- 
ready done  a  great  amount  of  good  for  our  cause. 
We  are  able  to  make  any  man  or  woman  appear 
like  a  lamb  no  matter  whether  his  real  character 
is  like  unto  a  wolf,  a  goat  or  a  hyena.  You  cannot 
tell  our  skins  from  the  natural  hide.  This  is  the 
most  approved  and  thoroughly  up-to-date  method 
of  covering  up  a  person's  real  condition,  and 
many  prominent  church  members  are  pleased  at 
the  help  we  have  given  them  to  make  them  look 
like  innocent  lambs  when  in  reality  they  are  as 
mean  as  hyenas." 

**  You  would  be  very  much  surprised  if  you  were 
to  know  what  a  great  demand  is  made  upon  us  by 
certain  politicians  and  business  men.  We  have 
made  many  a  guilty  man  appear  innocent  and  the 
demands  upon  us  are  constantly  increasing.  (Ap- 
plause.) Our  factory  has  been  enlarged  during 
the  last  sixty  days  and  we  are  now  running  contin- 
ually. (Applause.)  At  first  we  experienced  con- 
siderable difficulty  in  giving  certain  persons  a 
good  fit,  but  I  used  my  best  ingenuity  to  overcome 
this  trouble  and  now  we  have  a  system  by  which 
we  can  give  perfect  satisfaction  in  fitting  all  dif- 
ferent shapes."     (Applause.) 


SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET.  287 

"I  assure  you  that  the  sheepskin  factory  has 
come  to  stay,  (wild  applause,)  and  its  benefit  to 
our  cause  will  be  more  clearly  seen  as  the  years 
roll  by."     (Wild  and  prolonged  applause.) 

After  a  few  moments  the  next  speaker  arose 
and  with  his  deep  voice  proved  to  be  very  attrac- 
tive to  his  auditors :   '■- 

''What  I  have  endeavored  to  do  for  our  cause 
has  also  been  seen  by  you  all.  You  have  expressed 
/your  appreciation  to  me  and  my  helpers  at  many 
^  place  even  before  this  meeting  convened.  As  1 
looked  upon  the  large  number  of  persons  who 
were  infltienced  by  doubt,  I  conceived  the  idea  that 
if  I  could  place  Sign  Boards  along  the  pathway  of 
life  and  especially  at  other  places  where  the  paths 
turn  to  the  left,  that  this  would  prove  very  effec- 
tive in  helping  souls  to  go  astray."     (Applause.) 

''At  first  the  work  seemed  to  be  small  in  my 
eyes,  and  after  I  had  operated  on  a  limited  scale 
it  dawned  upon  me  that  I  had  undertaken  a  fa(> 
reaching  and  very  important  task.  That  will  e?^ 
plain  why  I  built  a  large  Sign  Board  Factory. 
Then  the  second  thought  dawned  upon  me  that 
these  signs  ought  to  be  ornamental  or  have  some- 
thing connected  with  them  to  attract  attention. 
I  undertook  to  carrv  out  this  idea  and  that  will  ex=^ 


(i8) 


288  SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET. 

piam  why  there  is  a  cluster  of  buildings  around 
the  central  factory  building."     (Applause.) 

''You  have  all  seen  what  beautiful  signs  are 
erected  along  the  King's  Highway  at  the  place 
called  Downcast  Meadow.  That  one  large  sign 
hanging  over  the  byway  with  the  inscription :  '  One 
Mile  to  Sunnyland,'  cost  us  a  great  amount  of 
time  and  patience,  but  it  has  already  worked  won- 
ders for  our  cause.  The  colored  electric  lights 
'that  rise  and  fall  a§  they  shine  each  in  their  turn, 
i3S  enough  to  awaken  the  curiosity  of  any  pilgrim 
and  especially  those  who  may  be  downcast.  Of 
course,  the  beautiful  colored  lights  are  there  only 
to  attract  the  attention  and  then  the  sign  is  read 
incidentally.  In  almost  every  instance  the  eye  will 
follow  along  to  the  next  sign:  'One  mile  and  a 
half  to  the  Summit  of  Hope.'  Many  are  turned 
to  the  left  at  this  place,  and  they  stumble  into  one 
or  another  of  our  traps  before  they  realize  that 
'Sunnyland'  or  'Summit  of  Hope'  cannot  be 
found."    (Strong  applause.) 

' '  This  is  but  a  single  description.  I  might  con- 
sume a  long  period  of  time  in  telling  you  of  the 
many  places  where  our  guide  posts  have  attracted 
attention,  and  accomplished  their  purpose.  But 
the  majority  of  you  have  already  seen  all  of  these, 
and  I  am  sure  that  you  will  agree  with  me  when  I 


^^^itF^^^^^'^^^A^^^^'^^'^'^'^''^'''^''"' 


There  abe  many  persons  whose  black  characteks  are  covered 
BY  THE  Devil's  whitewash. 


290  SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET. 

affirm  that  these  signs  are  proving  a  wonderful 
help  to  our  comrade  spirits  when  they  are  trying 
to  lead  pilgrims  from  the  way  of  life."  (Ap- 
plause.) 

''The  wheels  of  our  factory  are  humming,  and 
our  electrical  apparatus  is  not  only  up-to-date 
but  ahead-of-date.  It  is  our  aim  to  specialize 
along  this  line,  and  to  furnish  all  kind  of  freaks 
and  novelties  that  will  arrest  the  attention  of  pil- 
grims enroute  for  Heaven."    (Unusual  applause.) 

The  next  speaker  was  greeted  with  many  smiles 
as  he  approached  the  center  of  the  stage.  His 
voice  was  less  eloquent  than  those  of  his  two  pre- 
decessors, but  his  manner  was  more  pleasing  be- 
cause of  his  inclination  to  wit. 

''For  several  months -^ae^ I  have  been  known  as 
the  'Whitewash  Devil.'  (Laughter.)  It  may 
seem  funny  to  you  at  this  time,  but  I  assure  you 
that  I  had  anything  but  fun  when  I  was  studying 
out  the  necessary  proportion  of  elements  to  make 
my  new  kind  of  whitewash,  which  is  far  superior 
to  the  common  whitewash,  tnasniuch  as  it  sticks 
better  and  we  claim  that  it  is  good  for  the  healtk 
This  new  -Article  has  become  very  popular,  and  to 
supply  the  demand  we  proceeded  to  the  erection 
of  that  immense  factory  with  its  peculiar  machin- 
ery.   I  am  glad  that  we  have  succeeded  thus  far 


SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET.  g^l 

in  our  undertaking.  If  we  can  get  a  Christian  to 
use  our  goods  according  to  direction  he  can  so 
cover  up  a  black  deed  or  a  black  heart  that  no  or- 
dinary storm  of  persecution  will  wash  the  white- 
ness away."    (Great  applause.) 

The  most  amusing  part  of  my  work  is  that  I 
have  an  agent  employed  in  most  every  congrega- 
tion who  will  do  whitewashing  cheap.  (Applause.) 
He  gets  the  material  from  our  factory  and  uses 
it  wherever  and  wheneverthere  is  a  single  demand 
^«l&e^it;  Even  some  preachers  recommend  our  im- 
proved whitewash."     (Furious  applause.) 

'^  The' whitewashing  business  may  seem  like  a 
small  thing  in  your  judgment,  but  I  am  here  to  in- 
form you  that  we  manufacture  immense  quantities 
of  this  commodity  and  the  demand  is  still  increas- 
ing every  week." 

At  this  the  speaker  walked  toward  his  seat  and 
there  was  a  wonderful  demonstration.  It  seemed 
that  his  manner  and  gestures  did  more  to  cause 
the  outburst  than  anything  else. 

After  the  third  speaker  had  finished,  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  a  very  tall  demon,  whose  eyes  blazed 
like  balls  of  fire.  He  appeared  to  be  under  a  ner- 
vous strain  and  from  his  appearance  one  would 
think  that  he  had  enjoyed  no  rest  for  several  hun- 
dred years. 


292  SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET. 

'^Let  me  assure  you,"  he  commenced,  'Hhat  I 
studied  diligently  after  our  special  commission  of 
six  months  ago.  My  mind  seemed  to  meditate 
along  the  line  of  our  equipment  for  war,  and  I 
conceived  the  idea  that  our  military  forces  could 
do  much  more  effective  work  if  we  had  rapid  firing 
guns  that  were  practical  in  their  operations." 

^'To  complete  such  a  gun  I  bent  myself  to  the 
task,  and  after  a  period  of  heavy  work  I  succeed- 
ed in  perfecting  what  might  be  called  'Satan's 
Gattling  Gun.'  (Applause.)  With  the  use  of  this 
weapon  we  can  make  thrice  as  much  havoc  in  a 
given  time  as  with  the  best  gun  we  formerly  used. 
The  miniature  gattling  gun,  which  operates  on 
similar  principles  as  the  larger  gun,  can  be  train- 
ed upon  a  single  soul,  and  it  is  wonderful  how 
death  and  confusion  can  be  wrought  in  a  short 
time.  (Applause.)  One  of  my  servants  who  car- 
ried a  small  gun,  fired  the  shots  of  temptation  rap- 
idly into  a  woman's  heart,  and  she  was  so  thor- 
oughly confused  that  nothing  seemed  to  be  able 
to  counteract  the  attack."    (Prolonged  applause.) 

''The  best  feature  yet  attained  is  the  lightness 
of  the  small  gun,  which  enables  any  imp  of  Hell 
to  carry  it  without  much  trouble.  Already  there 
are  several  millions  of  these  guns  in  use.  (Ap- 
plause.)    We  are  hoping  before  long  to  supply 


SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET.  293 

the  whole  range  of  the  infernal  kingdom."  (Wild 
applause.) 

The  speaker  left  the  stage  with  a  quick  step  and 
was  immediately  followed  by  one  of  the  brightest 
members  of  the  cabinet.  His  very  appearance  in- 
voked an  applause,  for  it  seemed  that  the  whole 
company  of  judges  were  conversant  with  his  work 
evcffMsefOT^'hig  desefit^ibed  it.  After  a  moment's 
pause  he  spoke  in  pleasing  tones : 

''My  worthy  compeers,  I  know  that  my  master 
is  deserving  of  all  that  I  was  able  or  will  be  able  to 
do  for  him.  After  his  special  commission  of  six 
months  ago,  I  aimed  to  do  what  I  thought  would 
be  the  greatest  service  to  the  whole  host  of  our 
helpers,  ^re^yoia'have  alt  learned  before  thi§'  I 
compiled  and  composed  what  is  now  commonly 
known  as  'The  Master's  Recipe  Book.'  "  (Great 
applause.) 

"For  doing  so  small  a  service  I  scarcely  ex~ 
pected  so  great  a  reward  as  I  have  already  had. 
All  kinds  of  congratulations  are  reaching  me,  and 
many  have  expressed  their  appreciation  for  the 
publication  of  the  book. ' ' 

"Let  me  read  to  you  a  few  quotations,  which  I 
culled  from  my  pile  of  letters.  My  purpose  is  not 
to  exalt  myself  but  I  am  hoping  that  some  of  these 
extracts  may  inspire  you  to  a  better  use  of  the 
book."    The  first  he  read  was  as  follows: 


2^4  SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABtNE*. 

"Let  me  thank  you  for  your  valuable  work.  1 
found  in  your  book  '  How  to  get  to  Heaven  With- 
out Working. '  I  never  thought  of  such  an  ingen- 
ious manner  of  tempting  a  mortal  being,  and 
yours  worked  like  a  charm.  The  book  glistens 
with  original  ideas,  and  I  am  sure  that  by  its  help 
I  can  do  much  more  work  for  our  master  than 
ever  before."  (Applause.) 
:/p  o  '•  Another  letter  was  rather  lengthy,  from  this  he 
quoted : 

"Your  book  is  certainly  a  capital  hit.  The  last 
use  I  made  of  it  was  three  hours  ago.  I  chanced 
to  be  close  to  an  insulted  Christian  and  then  your 
recipe  dawned  upon  me:  'How  to  treat  a  person 
who  insults  you.'  I  used  your  advice  with  telling 
effect  and  I  am  sure  that  when  I  left  that  man  he 
had  less  religion  in  his  heart  than  before.  ^'OWST 
the  most  novel  chapters  in  the  whole  book  is: 
*  Fishing. '  Not  only  did  I  laugh,  but  I  also  profit- 
ed by  its  timely  suggestions."     (Applause.) 

Another  letter  contained  the  following: 

"Your  book  of  one  thousand  recipes  is  the  best 
literary  production  in  all  our  kingdom.  You  de- 
serve unlimited  praise  for  its  publication.  It 
seems  to  me  the  most  wonderful  recipe  of  all  the 
one  thousand  is  the  one:  'How  to  mix  Jealousy 
with  Love.'    You  strike  the  kevnote  of  the  whole 


SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET,  j^9§ 

question.  If  we  can  get  a  person  to  try  to  mix 
these  two  qualities  we  know  what  will  happen  to 
the  love  part.  (Great  applause.)  Your  reasoning 
in  the  book  is  so  plausible  that  I  cannot  see  how 
a  single  soul  can  escape,  who  gives  his  attention  to 
the  volume.  I  hope  that  you  will  receive  your 
good  share  of  honor  for  the  great  service  you  have 
thus  done  for  all  the  forces  of  Hell." 

The  speaker  "dpehed  another  letter  and  wa^ 
about  to  read  when  he  lifted  his  eyes  toward  the 
audience  and  said: 

^'1  feel  impressed  that  I  have  read  enough. 
CGo'on,"  and  similar  cries  came  from  the  audi- 
ence.) I  could  proceed  for  a  long  period  of  time, 
but  I  have  concluded  to  cease  reading  inasmuch  as 
each  of  you  have  access  to  the  book  and  I  assure 
you  that  it  will  never  be  a  secret  publication." 
(Tremendous  applause.) 

After  a  short  interval  the  next  speaker  advanced 
with  a  dignity  that  would  be  hard  to  surpass.  His- 
vaice  was  well  adapted  to  orator}^  and  his  gestures 
were  always  pat.  "ffGrTComm«need"witfa'H  mtxderate 
i^teiiation  atiiS^the  volume  of  his  voice  increased 
as  he  proceeded. 

''I  am  not  quite  so  fortunate  as  my  comrades 
who  preceded  me.  I  believe  that  my  labors  were 
just  as  severe  during  the  past  six  months,  and  yet 


296  SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET. 

I  have  been  utterly  unable  to  finish  my  task,  al- 
though I  had  hoped  tfe  be  done  before  this  day.  I 
am  building  a  Medical  Factory  where  the  most 
effective  formula  will  be  used  in  the  manufacture 
of  all  kinds  of  chemicals,  and  also  the  most  per- 
fect apparatus  will  be  used  for  the  injection  of 
these  chemicals  into  the  spiritual  bodies  of  our 
enemies. ' '     ( Applause. ) 

''Since  I  see  the  great  need  of  thorough  work, 
I  am  willing  to  take  a  smaller  prize  to-day  and 
complete  my  task  more  slowly.  -So  I  will  say 
nothing  more  than  to  give  a  little  prophecy.  I 
ask  your  indulgence  as  I  utter  these  words : 

"When  my  plans  are  finished  you  can  get  any 
one  of  the  concoctions  mentioned  in  the  'Master's 
Recipe  Book'  with  a  full  assurance  that  you  have 
received  the  proper  mixture  of  elements.  Accur- 
acy in  this  particular  is  very  essential  to  do  effec- 
tive work.  You  are  well  aware  that  no  recipe 
would  be  of  any  account  if  improper  elements  or 
impure  ingredients  are  used.  We  are  also  manu- 
facturing many  useful  mixtures  that  are  not  men- 
tioned in  the  'Master's  Recipe  Book.'  (Great  ap- 
plause.) Of  all  these  you  will  learn  more  accur- 
ately in  the  near  future  or  just  as  soon  as  I  am 
able  to  finish  this  work." 

The  seventh  member  of  the  cabinet  approached 


4f 


SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET.  297 

to  the  front  of  the  stage  with  a  steady  step.  He 
seemed  to  be  perfectly  calm  and  his  face  was  set 
with  rigid  lines,  each  one  telling  its  own  long  tale 
of  demoniacal  study. 

**Six  months  ago,"  he  commenced,  "after  the 
special  commission  from  our  most  worthy  master, 
I  carefully  studied  the  whole  field  of  our  opera- 
tions and  tried  to  determine  where  we  were  most 
neglectful  in  our  work.  It  appeared  to  me  that 
missionary  effort  was  making  more  advancement 
against  us  than  any  other  branch  of  the  enemy's 
work. ' ' 

"As  I  looked  out  over  the  field  of  the  Christian 
church  I  saw  at  home  and  abroad  the  bright  fires 
of  missionary  zeal.  These  fires  had  a  different 
color  from  the  fires  of  Hell  and  to  me  it  was  pain- 
ful to  look  upon  tibem.  How  can  I  quench  those 
fires  ?  I  mused  to  ®^self .  With  this  end  in  view  I 
studied  diligently  and  instead  of  spinning  out  a 
whole  lot  of  theories,  I  commenced  to  experi- 
ment. ' ' 

"I  first  constructed  a  chemical  engine.  The 
liquid  used  was  composed  of  a  certain  combination 
of  ignorance,  selfishness  and  unbelief.  I  tried  the 
new  machinery  in  a  congregation  where  the  mis- 
sionary zeal  was  burning  brightly.  I  threw  my 
specially  prepared  liquid  over  the  hearts  of  the 


29§  SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL^S  CABINEt. 

people,  and  believe  me  or  not,  I  could  notice  a  per- 
ceptible decrease  in  the  light  of  the  fire."  (Great 
applause.) 

^ '  While  the  chemical  engine  was  doing  its  work, 
I  succeeded  in  getting  a  number  of  church  mem- 
bers to  carry  water  for  me.  While  they  did  the 
carrying,  I  did  the  throwing  as  effectively  as  pos 
sible.  By  this  double  effort  I  am  sure  that  the 
fires  were  reduced  nearly  one-half.  (Unusual  ap- 
plause.) Had  it  not  been  for  some  one  continually 
pouring  oil  from  above,  I  believe  that  the  mission 
ary  fire  could  have  been  totally  extinguished.  1 
know  of  nothing  that  can  overcome  altogether  the 
oil  of  the  Holy  Spirit. ' ' 

''It  is  my  purpose  to  send  imps  into  every  con- 
gregation or  society  where  there  is  the  least  fire 
of  missionary  zeal.  And  judging  from  what  has 
already  been  accomplished,  I  feel  safe  in  prophe- 
sying that  we  will  drown  out  a  large  part  of  the 
missionary  zeal  in  the  church  of  Christ  on  earth. ' ' 

As  the  speaker  was  walking  to  his  seat,  the  dem- 
onstration was  very  boisterous.  Some  were  stand- 
ing on  their  feet  during  the  excitement. 

The  seven  addresses  were  at  an  end,  and  as  the 
Devil  arose  he  called  for  another  cheer.  This  was 
answered  by  a  deafening  roar  which  continued  as 
long  as  the  Devil  smiled  in  approval.    At  length 


SERMONS  BY  TUE  DEVIL'S  CABINET.  299 

he  gestured  for  silence,  and  the  contrast  was  in- 
deed painful.  The  ear  of  each  demon  was  turned 
toward  the  stage  in  order  to  catch  every  word  that 
fell  from  the  lips  of  the  great  master,  who  had  by 
this  time  reached  the  platform. 

'*We  have  listened  to  seven  remarkable  ad- 
dresses, ' '  commenced  the  Devil,  ' '  The  work  done 
by  each  one  of  these  speakers  is  worthy  of  our 
highest  admiration  and  praise.  By  inventing  and 
operating  new  schemes  we  can  only  hope  to  cope 
with  our  great  adversary,  and  counteract  the  vig- 
orous life  and  policy  that  is  ever  manifested  in 
his  church.  We  have  learned  by  our  bitter  defeats 
that  many  of  our  former  methods  are  no  longer  of 
any  use.  If  we  hope  to  win  in  the  great  struggle 
against  our  foes  we  must  continue  in  the  future  to 
invent  new  methods  for  every  age  and  thus  be  able 
to  meet  any  new  advance  that  may  be  made  upon 
us  by  our  enemies." 

''But  of  all  these  things  we  will  speak  later. 
The  interesting  feature  now  at  hand  is  the  distri- 
bution of  the^even  prizes." 

At  this  juncture  a  company  of  imps  carried 
upon  the  stage  the  seven  different  prizes.  The 
first  was  a  hollow  ground  crown  of  gold  set  with 
a  diamond  that  had  been  taken  froYn  the  Devil's 
crown.  The  seventh  prize  was  a  golden  belt  artist- 


300 


SERMONS  BY  THE  DEVIL'S  CABINET. 


ically  carved  with  beautiful  figures.  The  other 
prizes  were  of  various  kinds  and  indeed  were  a 
most  valuable  collection.  After  the  exhibition  of 
these  prizes  the  Devil  commanded  that  the  vote 
of  the  judges  should  be  lifted.  Each  judge  was 
told  to  cast  a  single  vote  with  one  of  the  seven 
numbers  on  it. 

When  the  vote  was  gathered  and  counted  the  re- 
sult was  as  follows: 

Speaker  No.  1  received  107  votes. 


u  2   ' 

106  '' 

'^  3   ' 

130  '' 

'^  4   ' 

154  " 

''  5   ' 

172  '' 

''  6   ' 

171  " 

''  7   ' 

160  '' 

After  this  result  was  announced  each  prize  was 
awarded  amid  the  applause  of  the  gathered  multi- 
tude. After  adjournment  the  army  of  imps  went 
forth  to  profit  all  they  possibly  could  by  what  they 
had  learned. 


At  last  Satan  will  be  bound  in  the  bottomless  pit.  whence 

he  can  look  over  the  bridgeless  gulf  to  the  far-off 

City  of  Light. 


*  <"I"I-  'H'*'l  ■|.».|..l..|i.l..|..|..|..|..l..i..|..|..l..H.4.4i.|.  .|.  ■!■  ■!.  .|i  .|.i  i|i  4'  >l  I'  l-l- »  ♦ 

7  V  i    I    "  •   4   4   •   *   i  " "  V  1   •   •   1   4   1  V  1   i   *    t   4"  I   1  '4   r "  r  WWWVrr  V 

The  time  is  coming  when  this  young  world  of 
ours  will  be  old  and  decrepit  with  age,  when  the 
proudest  monuments  of  human  glory  will  have 
crumbled  to  dust.  The  empire  of  sin  shall  then 
fall  to  pieces  and  its  king  shall  be  chained  in  the 
bottomless  pit,  far  off  from  the  gates  of  Heaven. 
Can  we  not  imagine  that  when  this  time  shall  have 
come,  Satan  will  sing  his  bitter  song  somewhat 
after  the  following  lines: 

''Long  ago  I  planned  in  my  passing  pride. 
That  to-day  I  would  reign  as  king. 
But  where  is  my  kingdom,  where  is  my  crown? 
Is  the  bitter  song  that  I  sing." 

''What  joy  have  I  won  through  my  evil  designs! 
"What  peace  in  my  soul-wrecking  plan? 
I  hoped  to  conquer  both  Heaven  and  Hell 
But  have  won  nothing  more  than  man." 

"I  can  see  above,  o'er  the  bridgeless  gulf. 
The  glorified  Heaven-lit  strand. 
My  chains  make  me  feel  the  double  disgrace 
As  I  crouch  'neath  the  Infinite  Hand. ' ' 


304  THE  DEVIL'S  LAST  SONG. 

''Where  are  my  princes,  my  legions  of  dupes, 
And  the  millions  of  souls  I  won? 
My  pains  and  my  chains  are  greater  by  far 
Because  of  the  deeds  I  have  done." 

•'All  my  plans  and  my  schemes  in  a  thousand 

ways, 
Like  bubbles  are  blown  out  of  sight, 
My  fancies  and  hopes  like  a  passing  dream 
Are  covered  by  shadows  of  night. ' ' 

"Come  on,  all  ye  dupes,  ye  millions  of  men, 
Who  heeded  my  wishes  like  fools. 
Take  your  share  for  aye  of  the  galling  chains. 
Under  Him  who  in  triumph  rules." 

"You  have  lived  and  died  for  my  noble  cause. 
Your  souls  are  eternally  marred. 
You  shall  see  no  more  than  glimpses  of  light 
Of  Heaven  from  which  you  are  barred." 

"Then  fling  all  your  hopes,  my  friends,  to  the 

winds, 
As  the  echo  of  sadness  replies, 
You  will  feel  henceforth  the  deeper  degrees, 
Of  the  Hell  which  beneath  us  lies. ' ' 


Date  Due 


